Shizuoka Prefecture mulls collecting fees from Mt. Fuji climbers

SHIZUOKA (Kyodo) — The Shizuoka prefectural government is considering charging fees for climbers ascending Mt. Fuji on three trails from next summer in a bid to restrict access, following neighboring Yamanashi Prefecture, an official said Tuesday.

Yamanashi has implemented several measures since earlier this year to deter dangerous activities such as “bullet climbing,” which refers to attempts to summit the 3,776-meter peak for the sunrise without an overnight rest, but Shizuoka has yet to introduce any steps.

Mt. Fuji straddles Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures.

So far, Shizuoka has only asked hikers to submit plans through a preregistration system, including the start time of their ascent and any reservation they have made for a place in a mountainside hut on the way to the peak.

There are three trails — Fujinomiya, Gotemba and Subashiri — in Shizuoka. As they are not on prefectural land, it has been difficult for the local government to impose regulations on climbers ascending Mt. Fuji through its ordinance.

Shizuoka is studying through November how it can limit access to Mt. Fuji with a view to enacting a new ordinance to collect entrance fees, the official said, adding the prefecture plans to earmark 37 million yen ($256,000) to estimate costs for controls on hikers.

In Yamanashi, meanwhile, a gate has been set up to close the Yoshida trail from 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. to individuals without mountain hut reservations at the 5th station of the route, which is the most commonly used path in the prefecture.

Yamanashi has also begun to collect 2,000 yen per climber for using the Yoshida trail, while capping the number of hikers at 4,000 a day.