bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

A tall metal fence will be built to control unruly tourists who have annoyed residents at a popular Mount Fuji photo spot.
It follows the erection last month of a black screen in a nearby town to block an Instagram-famous view of the snow-capped volcano rising from behind a convenience store.
Residents of Fuji City have complained about mostly foreign visitors venturing into the road on the Mount Fuji Dream Bridge in search of the perfect shot of Japan’s highest peak.
Despite its name, the structure is an ordinary bridge over a river, with a narrow pavement separated from the road by a waist-high concrete wall.

But people have been jaywalking across the road to reach a vacant area between the two lanes of traffic, says Haruhito Yoshizaki, a tourism official in Fuji.
There, they pose for photos, twirl for videos or just chill out – some even take their suitcases with them.

To deter this risky behaviour, authorities have already put up low metal scaffolding and signs telling people to keep away from the stretch of tarmac. Next, authorities say they plan to erect a 1.8 metre (6 feet) high metal mesh fence around the area by the end of June.
Residents “welcome visitors as long as basic rules are observed”, Yoshizaki says, adding the move is meant to ease the “frustration of local residents”.
“Maybe we can build a sightseeing course” instead to encourage more considerate exploration, he adds.
A pedestrian staircase to the bridge also appears in countless photos on Instagram and other platforms, and in wedding pictures – because, from a certain angle, it appears to lead to Mount Fuji.
Residents have also grumbled about tourists parking illegally in the quiet neighbourhood, or shouting to one another when taking wide shots from afar.
The Dream Bridge has existed for about a decade but photo-hungry visitors began to congregate there in November, Yoshizaki says.
Record numbers of overseas tourists are coming to Japan, and as photos taken at the spot spread on social media, the crowds have grown sharply in recent weeks.
This week, the city set up a parking area and a bathroom facility at the bridge to ease the burden on locals.

Meanwhile, the nearby town of Fujikawaguchiko plans to rebuild a black mesh barrier, already in place next to the convenience store, with stronger material.
Several small holes have been poked in the screen, which is meant to stop people littering, trespassing and breaking traffic rules.


History of Bangkok’s Chinatown from Teochew enclave to red light district and business hub

Bali: how 60 years of tourism was kickstarted in Sanur, and at a 5-star island landmark

How Hong Kong can tap the potential of its island economies-in-waiting

Japan’s Ishiba warns of divided world at World Expo opening

Asia travel

Another barrier to Mount Fuji photo taking is going up as tourists disturb residents

The Mount Fuji Dream Bridge recently found fame on Instagram, leading foreign tourists to flock there. With jaywalking causing frustration for residents, authorities have announced they will put up a fence. Photo: Getty Images

A foreign tourist poses for a photo in front of the Lawson Kawaguchiko Ekimae convenience store, which was famous for its views of Mount Fuji before a screen was put up there last month. Photo: EPA

Foreign tourists take pictures of Mount Fuji at the Lawson Fujikawaguchiko Ekimae convenience store in May, 2024 – before a black screen was erected there to obscure the famous view. Photo: EPA

A worker installs a black net at the Lawson Kawaguchiko Ekimae convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko to obscure the view of Mount Fuji and deter photography. Photo: EPA

Mount Fuji to charge US$13, cap daily climbers to 4,000 people on the Yoshida Trail, with help of online booking system

Hikers climb the Yoshida Trail on Mount Fuji, in Japan. Photo: Shutterstock

Hikers climb the Yoshida Trail on Mount Fuji, in Japan. Japanese authorities announced that an online booking system will be introduced to help fight congestion and overtourism on Japan’s highest mountain. Photo: Shutterstock

A busy Mount Fuji trail on August 31, 2023. Photo: AFP

Sunrise at the summit of Mount Fuji on July 19, 2021. Photo: AFP

A sign warns pedestrians to use the crossing near the Lawson convenience store that offers the much-sought-after view of Mount Fuji. Photo: EPA-EFE

Japan’s Kyoto to ban visitors from geisha district area after surge in ‘out-of-control’ incidents

Japanese geisha visit Minamiza Theatre in Kyoto to watch a kabuki performance. Photo: Kyodo

Overtourism in Spain: residents have had enough, as protests erupt in Mallorca, Ibiza and the Canary Islands

People in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, take part in a protest against mass tourism, which they say is responsible for increasing housing costs for locals. Photo: Reuters

Demonstrators take part in a performance depicting a tourist and a Mallorcan in traditional costume during a protest against mass tourism on the island of Mallorca. Photo: AFP

Tourists sunbathe on El Arenal beach in Palma de Mallorca. Photo: Reuters

Thousands of people demonstrated in Mallorca against excess tourism, one of the main sources of income for the island, on May 25. Photo: AFP

Protesters hold signs reading “Let’s save Mallorca” and “Foreigners out” during the May 25 protest in Palma de Mallorca. “Guiri” is a slang term that refers to an “uncouth foreigner, primarily drunk, primarily British”. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

News

Asia

East Asia

At Instagram hotspot Mount Fuji Dream Bridge, a 1.8 metre tall fence will deter jaywalking by foreign visitors looking for the perfect shot


At Mount Fuji Dream Bridge, near Japan’s highest peak, a fence is being put up to stop foreign visitors jaywalking. A nearby town recently put up a screen to block tourists’ views of the peak.


Japan

Tourism