Japan’s Yamanashi prefecture plans to raise entry fee for Mount Fuji climbers

KOFU, Yamanashi Prefecture – The prefectural government of Yamanashi plans to raise the entry fee for Mount Fuji climbers from the current 2,000 yen (S$17) to between 3,000 and 5,000 yen, sources said on Nov 25.

The prefecture aims to merge this fee with a separate charge collected on a voluntary basis for conservation cooperation, set at 1,000 yen per climber, for the highest mountain in the country.

Local communities have complained that the voluntary payments are complicated and confusing.

With Mount Fuji straddling Yamanashi and the neighboring prefecture of Shizuoka, the Shizuoka Prefectural Government is considering starting to collect an entry fee of 3,000 to 5,000 yen per climber from next summer, after ending the existing voluntary conservation cooperation payment.

The Yamanashi government has shown to local communities three plans for raising the entry fee, to 3,000, 4,000 and 5,000 yen per person.

Entry fees will be used for security personnel expenses and other purposes.

The Yamanashi government introduced the entry fee for climbing Mount Fuji and a daily climber limit of 4,000 in summer this year. A makeshift gate was installed at the fifth station of the most popular Yoshida Trail, used by some 60 per cent of Mount Fuji climbers, with people prohibited from passing through it from 4pm to 3am, other than those using mountain lodges.

In this year’s summer hiking season from July 1 to Sept 10, some 204,000 people climbed Mount Fuji from the two prefectures, about 92 per cent of the year-before total. After introducing its restrictions, the Yamanashi side saw a great reduction in nighttime climbing. THE JAPAN TIMES/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK