Mount Fuji Begins Paid Reservations to Fight Crowds

Climbers now need to make a reservation to use the popular Yoshida Trail on the Yamanashi Prefecture side of Mount Fuji. The new reservation system started accepting bookings at 10 am on May 20. By 4 pm the same day, 6,849 reservations had been made for the climbing season from July 1 to September 10.

Plenty of Availability

An official noted, "The reservations aren't concentrated on particular days like weekends or the Obon [holiday] period. We have received around 100 reservations per day." As the daily limit is 3,000 people, there is still plenty of availability.

On May 20 alone, the system received 1,997 reservations. These were predominantly from groups rather than individual climbers. It appears that travel agencies offering Mount Fuji trips were quick to get in.

Reservation and Payment

For the summer climbing season, Yamanashi Prefecture will install a gate at the 5th station. This aims to limit the number of climbers by time and day. It will also prevent "bullet climbing," where climbers leave the 5th station in the evening and ascend straight to the summit without staying overnight in a mountain hut.

A ¥2,000 JPY (around $13 USD) fee is required to pass through the gate, which must be paid in advance through the reservation system to avoid congestion. It can be paid by credit card or other cashless methods. Once the reservation is complete, climbers will receive a QR code, which they can scan at the gate to receive a wristband as proof of payment.

RELATED: 

• Blocking View of Mount Fuji a 'Last Resort' for Beautiful Town
• Tracing Ancient Mountain Trails with the Japanese Alpine Club
• [A Photographer's Notes] The 'Mt Fuji One Stroke' Challenge

(Read the article in Japanese.)

Author: Takashi Hirao, The Sankei Shimbun