They are scenes few would associate with Japan’s highest peak: human traffic jams, foothills littered with garbage and inappropriately attired hikers – some attempting the ascent in sandals.
But these sights are all too familiar for Miho Sakurai, a veteran ranger who has patrolled the slopes of Mount Fuji for the past seven years.
“There are definitely too many people on the mountain at the moment; the numbers are much higher than before,” Sakurai laments to CNN Travel.
When Mount Fuji was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2013, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), UNESCO’s advisory organ, urged mountain officials to manage the crowds.
However, the number of visitors to the mountain’s popular fifth hiking station has more than doubled from two million in 2012 to over five million visitors in 2019, according to the Yamanashi prefectural government.
And since the annual climbing season opened just a couple of months ago in July, around 65,000 hikers have reached the summit, an increase of 17% from 2019.
Officials say a post-Covid tourism boom has brought thousands more to the mountain, which straddles Japan’s Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures. And as Mount Fuji marks the 10th anniversary of its UNESCO designation this year, they fear the environmental situation has reached a “critical point.”
“Overtourism – and all the subsequent consequences like rubbish, rising CO2 emissions and reckless hikers – is the biggest problem facing Mount Fuji,” says Masatake Izumi, a Yamanashi prefectural government official and expert on the famed peak.
Yasuyoshi Okada, the president of ICOMOS Japan, told CNN TRAVEL in an email that “to preserve the sacredness” of Mount Fuji and its value as a World Heritage site, “over-tourism must be addressed.”
Of Mount Fuji’s 10 hiking stations, the fifth (called “Gogome”)is located roughly halfway up the 3,776-meter (12,388-foot) mountain. It receives 90% of the mountain’s visitors, most whom take buses, taxis and EV cars from Tokyo along the Fuji Subaru Line mountain road, says Izumi.
“Built almost 60 years ago amid Japan’s era of motorization, the Fuji Subaru Line gave visitors and families direct access to a point halfway up the mountain. It allowed people across the country to experience Mount Fuji,” says Izumi.
Nowadays, when hikers head to the fifth station from Tokyo on that line, they’ll hear a folk song play briefly as their vehicle passes a set of sensors on the road.
Written by Sazanami Iwaya in 1911, “Fuji no Yama” or “The Mountain of Fuji” celebrates the popular tourist destination. The lyrics highlight Mount Fuji’s grandeur, calling it “Japan’s greatest mountain” as it “pokes its head above the clouds”
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It depends on what type of trip you’re looking to take. However, spring and autumn tend to be the most beautiful weather-wise. We’d recommend a trip between March and May or September and November. If you’re looking to steer clear of crowds, then a trip in May after Golden Week is for you.
Japan Airlines is preparing to upgrade its service between New York City and Tokyo. The Tokyo-based carrier is getting ready to unveil its first Airbus A350-1000 aircraft and, in the process, will debut an entirely new set of cabins.
When it comes to premium cabins, most of the innovation happens in the Asia-Pacific region (including the Middle East). This is where most premium airlines are, and they all want the big money customers.
For some people, Halloween means Pumpkin Spice Lattes, adorable trick-or-treaters and home-decorating tips from Martha Stewart. But for millions of horror fans, the season is all about jump scares, blood-thirsty ghouls and chainsaw-wielding clowns.
It's been just a year since Japan reopened its borders to international travel after the pandemic. But tourism has rebounded in ways almost no one could have predicted, setting up a potentially record-breaking 2024.
Demand for luxury train travel has surged in the wake of the pandemic. The leisurely pace and atmosphere of Old-World glamour that define these voyages appeal to travelers seeking time for reflection and deeper connections to the people and places encountered along the way. While Europe boasts the Orient Express, Japan’s Seven Stars in Kyushu represents the pinnacle of luxury rail travel in Asia. Newly renovated last year—and a reader favorite—the Seven Stars celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. With only 10 cabins and a maximum of 20 guests, the deluxe liner elevates the art of omotenashi (Japanese hospitality) to new heights.
I’m standing on a steel walkway 440 feet above Sydney Harbor when a voice crackles over my headset. My guide tells me to look right and take in one of the world’s most stunning skylines.
Once upon a time, Uzbekistan was a real hassle to visit. Travelers faced labyrinthine and opaque visa processes, expensive letters of invitation and complicated registration requirements. Luckily, those days are long gone. Uzbekistan now makes life as easy as it can for tourists, starting with a streamlined visa process.
In the distance, the verdant North Downs stretch out for miles, the chalk hills gently undulating until their ridges merge with the horizon. Closer, still, are fields of white lacey Cowslip and wild yellow Woodsorrel which dot the landscape with pops of colour. It’s hard to believe that we’re a short drive away from central London.
In every corner of Japan, there are echoes of Ghibli film settings. The country’s most successful anime studio launched in 1985, and its films have become emblematic of Japan’s offbeat, inventive character. It’s no surprise the opening of the Ghibli Park in November 2022 proved so popular. Tickets are released three months in advance but, almost a year on, they’re still like gold dust due to high domestic demand. There are no rides at the park either. Instead, it’s been designed as a place to “take a stroll, feel the wind, and discover the wonders”, according to its founders.
There was a time when accommodation options in Japan tended to fall into three categories: glossy international chains, dull homegrown business hotels and basic ryokan (traditional inns), which despite their atmospheric tatami mats and wooden sliding doors were often light on comfort and mod cons. But new options abound, particularly for the cultural traveller.