Photo/Illutration A tourist takes a picture from the side of the black sheet in front of Lawson’s Fuji-Kawaguchiko Ekimae store in Fuji-Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on May 24. (Yusui Munekata)

FUJI-KAWAGUCHIKO, Yamanashi Prefecture--Tourists have literally punched holes in this town’s plan to prevent them from becoming nuisances in their quest to take photos of Mount Fuji.

As of May 27, about 10 holes had been found in a large black plastic sheet that was placed in front of a Lawson convenience store less than a week ago to block the view of Mount Fuji, according to Fuji-Kawaguchiko officials.

Each hole is about 1 centimeter in diameter, and the town officials believe they were artificially made to allow camera lenses to poke through during hours when security guards were not present.

Town Mayor Hideyuki Watanabe has instructed the officials to repair the holes and consider countermeasures.

The black sheet was installed on May 21 after the town government received several complaints from locals that tourists were dangerously entering the street, blocking traffic or even trespassing to take photos of Mount Fuji as it appeared to be resting on the roof of the Lawson store.

But even after the sheet was installed, foreign visitors continued to flock to the Lawson Kawaguchiko Ekimae store.

On May 24, tourists pressed their cameras into the sheet to see if it was transparent enough to take a photo. Others were seen snapping shots from the edge of the sheet, while some tried to stretch high to take pictures above the sheet.

According to some residents, congestion in the area has eased somewhat.

On May 25 and 26, the first weekend since the black sheet was installed, clouds obstructed the view of Mount Fuji, and few people were seen on the sidewalk in front of the store.

However, Kosuke Wada, 49, who runs a tempura restaurant near the Lawson store, said the number of visitors walking around the area has not changed although the number of his customers has slightly decreased.

As the town’s economy relies on tourism, Wada is calling for coexistence and coprosperity between tourists and locals.

“The black sheet is spoiling the scenery,” he said. “I want (the town) to find something other than the sheet, such as directing visitors to other attractive spots.”

Mount Fuji can be easily seen from multiple prefectures. But the Lawson site has been a particularly hot tourist spot since a social media influencer posted a shot of Japan’s tallest peak there in autumn 2022.

Wakana Watanabe, 43, who works at a kimono rental shop near the Lawson store, said that a few days after the installment of the sheet, she saw tourists piggybacking to try to take pictures above the sheet.

She said she could only wonder, “They have to go to such lengths to take pictures from this location.”

Watanabe said she still sees tourists suddenly enter the street, but the number of visitors surrounding the convenience store has decreased. She said she is also relieved that the number of customers who rent kimono at her shop has not changed.

“I hope the presence of the black sheet will continue to improve manners,” Watanabe said.

Unfortunately for other residents in the town, the sheet has apparently shifted bad tourist behavior about 1 kilometer west.

There, Lawson’s Fuji-Kawaguchiko Machiyakubamae store stands, and the surrounding area offers a similar view of Mount Fuji.

Ill-behaved foreign visitors were reported there even before the black sheet was installed at the “original” Lawson site, including tourists stomping through flower beds between the store and the sidewalk.

But after the sheet went up, the annoyance level surged around the Fuji-Kawaguchiko Machiyakubamae store.

“I was born and raised here, and I’ve never seen so many foreigners in this area,” said a man, 85, who lives near the convenience store. “There may be more tourists in the future, so I will be careful when I drive by.”

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