Photo/Illutration A few mountaineers climb the Yoshida trail on Mount Fuji on July 1, 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Shinnosuke Ito)

KOFU—To reduce the increasing congestion during climbing season, a reservation system for ascending Mount Fuji from the Yoshida trail in Yamanashi Prefecture will be introduced this summer.

Climbers who wish to ascend the mountain between July 1 and Sept. 10 can make reservations online starting at 10 a.m. on May 20.

According to an announcement by the prefecture on May 13, the new system is designed to limit the number of visitors going above the fifth station of the mountain to 4,000 per day.

Reservations must be made at least a day in advance. However, a minimum of 1,000 daily slots will be kept open for climbers who have not made a reservation.

As previously announced, all climbers ascending the mountain via the Yoshida trail will be required to pay a 2,000 yen ($12.78) fee.

Upon making their reservations, climbers will pay the toll online and receive a QR code via email, which will be scanned at a checkpoint on the mountain to receive a wristband pass.

The online reservation service is also available in English and Chinese.

The checkpoint at the fifth station will be closed once the number of climbers for the day reaches 4,000, and security guards will be on duty 24 hours a day.

There are three other trails leading to the 3,776-meter summit of Mount Fuji, but 60 percent of all visitors choose the Yoshida trail for their ascent.

Related News