“After COVID restrictions were lifted, we started seeing more people. We want them to dress appropriately for the mountain and be well prepared,” Toshiaki Kasai, an official at the local government, told AFP.
“We will ask visitors to monitor social media for up-to-date information about the daily visitor count,” he added.
Each summer, reports in Japanese media describe tourists climbing Mount Fuji with insufficient mountaineering equipment.
Some sleep on the trail or start fires for heat, while many attempt to reach the 3,776m summit without breaks and become sick or injured as a result.
The active volcano has three other main routes that will remain free to climb.
But the Yoshida Trail – accessed from Tokyo relatively easily – is the preferred choice for most holidaymakers, with around 60 per cent of climbers choosing that route, according to official data.
Mount Fuji is about two hours from central Tokyo by train and can be seen for miles around.
The mountain has been immortalised in countless Japanese artworks, including Hokusai’s world-famous “Great Wave”.
Source: CNA
