New ¥2,000 Charge for Mount Fuji’s Popular Yoshida Trail from Summer 2024

Travel Environment Economy

Yamanashi Prefecture has introduced a new ¥2,000 payment for using its Yoshida Trail leading to the summit of Mount Fuji, citing congestion and safety issues. There will also be a cap of 4,000 daily climbers.
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Tackling Congestion and Boosting Safety

Yamanashi Prefecture announced on April 17 that from the start of this year’s Mount Fuji climbing season a ¥2,000 payment will be required to use the Yoshida trail, which is the most popular of four routes leading to the summit. A gate will be installed to collect the payments, and the money will be used to boost safety and provide interpreting for foreign visitors. Climbers may also choose to pay a voluntary donation of ¥1,000 to contribute to conservation of the peak.

Mount Fuji is a major tourist site, and many visitors climb at night so they can view the sunrise from the summit, leading to serious congestion in the predawn hours. There are also issues with “bullet climbing,” where climbers do not take sufficient rest and may end up needing medical attention.

The gate will close between three in the afternoon and four in the morning each day during the season, and it may also close earlier if the number of climbers in a day accessing the mountain from the north side exceeds 4,000. However, these rules do not apply to those who have reserved lodgings in huts higher up on the peak.

According to Ministry of Environment figures, 221,000 people climbed Mount Fuji in 2023, which was 94% of the 236,000 who did so in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Of these, 62% used the Yoshida trail.

Climbers enjoy the sunrise from Mount Fuji. (© Pixta)
Climbers enjoy the sunrise from atop Mount Fuji. (© Pixta)

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: The crowded Yoshida trail in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, on September 2, 2023. © Jiji.)

Mount Fuji tourism