Japanese authorities on Monday unveiled an online booking system for Mount Fuji’s most popular trail, in a bid to combat overtourism at the active volcano.
To ease congestion on the Yoshida Trail, the preferred route for most hikers, Yamanashi plans to limit the maximum number of people allowed to enter per day at 4,000, each paying $13.
Japan’s highest mountain is increasingly crowded during the summer hiking season, raising concerns about safety and environmental damage.
Yamanashi district government official Katsuhiro Iwama told AFP that the system would ensure people enter through a new gate, “allowing them to plan ahead.”