Photo/Illutration The gate regulating entrance at the fifth station of Mount Fuji is completed on June 17. (Takuya Ikeda)

FUJIYOSHIDA, Yamanashi Prefecture—The construction of a gate at the fifth station of Mount Fuji was completed on June 17, two weeks ahead of its use to stop crowds and unsafe climbing of Japan's highest peak.  

This entrance, which is on the Yoshida trail from Yamanashi Prefecture, will be used to regulate the number of climbers on Mount Fuji starting at midnight on July 1, when the mountain climbing season opens.

The brown wooden gate, which blends into the natural scenery, measures 1.8 meters high and eight meters wide. Its double doors open four meters wide. The cost of the construction was 1 million yen ($6,400).

The doors will be closed from 4 p.m. through 3 a.m. to reduce congestion on the trail at night and prevent “bullet climbing,” the practice of climbing the 3,776-meter mountain overnight without resting.

If 4,000 climbers enter through the gate before 4 p.m., the barrier will close early that day.

Climbers who have booked mountain huts can pass through regardless of the time or the limit on the number of climbers.

Climbers going down the mountain can exit through the gate at any time.

Before entering through the entrance, climbers must show that they have paid the 2,000 yen fee. They also have to show proof of booking accommodations in a mountain hut when they pass through the gate after 4 p.m. 

A maximum of seven security staffers will be deployed around the gate and the toll gate on a round-the-clock basis.

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