By YOSHIKO AOYAMA/ Staff Writer
October 2, 2024 at 18:52 JST
Hikers climb Mount Fuji on the Yoshida trail in Yamanashi Prefecture on July 2. (Tatsuhiko Yoshizawa)
Despite an overall decrease in Mount Fuji climbers this summer, Shizuoka Prefecture has reported a significant increase in visitors to its three climbing routes.
The Fujinomiya, Subashiri and Gotenba trails in the prefecture saw a combined total of 89,459 climbers, a 6.4 percent increase from the previous summer.
This also marked a 4.4 percent increase from the summer of 2019, exceeding pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels for the first time.
Meanwhile, the total number of climbers on the mountain dropped 7.7 percent to 204,316 compared to the previous year.
This decline is believed to be due to the newly introduced daily access limit and fee at the Yoshida trail in Yamanashi Prefecture, the most popular route taken by over half of all Mount Fuji climbers.
The Yoshida trail opened for the season on July 1 while the three trails in Shizuoka opened nine days later. All four routes closed on Sept. 10.
According to the Environment Ministry, the Yoshida trail experienced a 16.3 percent decrease in climbers compared to the previous year, with a total of 114,857. This marks a 23.4 percent decline from 2019.
In comparison, the Fujinomiya trail saw a 7.4 percent increase, reaching 53,218 climbers, while the Subashiri trail experienced a substantial 19.8 percent increase with 22,830 climbers.
However, the Gotenba trail counted a 13.4 percent decrease to 13,411, possibly attributable to a 12-day malfunction of the infrared sensor used to count climbers.
As the number of climbers on the Shizuoka routes surged, so did the revenue generated by donations from visitors.
Prefectural officials ask climbers to pay a voluntary conservation fee of 1,000 yen ($6.90).
This summer, a record 74.3 percent of climbers paid the fee, generating the largest amount ever at 66.41 million yen, an increase of 5.1 million yen from last year.
The prefecture plans to introduce daily access restrictions and mandatory fees on its three routes next summer, similar to those implemented on the Yoshida trail.
Mount Fuji’s Yoshida trail may cost more to climb next year
October 2, 2024
Climbing fee, cap on visitors: New rule on Mt. Fuji as season starts
June 30, 2024
Shizuoka to tighten safety rules on Mount Fuji climbers
September 11, 2024
6 die on Mt. Fuji in first month of season, topping last year’s total
August 16, 2024
Yamanashi to cap Mount Fuji climbers at 4,000 per day
December 21, 2023
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