Mount Fuji climbing season opens amid calls to ban winter ascents due to overcrowding and safety fears

Mount Fuji, Japan's iconic peak, is drawing massive crowds during its official climbing season, which runs from July to September. Tourists are so numerous that congestion is reported even at 3,000 meters.

“

We do not want secondary accidents to affect firefighters and other people.

This surge in popularity has prompted local officials to consider a ban on climbing outside the designated season. Hidetada Sudo, the mayor of Fujinomiya city, expressed concerns about potential accidents and the strain on rescue services. He urged the Shizuoka prefecture to prohibit off-season ascents, deeming them "extremely dangerous." A fatal accident last December, where a 44-year-old climber died during a descent, underscores these safety worries.

“

This is no longer mountaineering, it's simply walking within an organized tourist circuit.

However, the proposal faces opposition from seasoned mountaineers and climbers like Takemi Suzuki. Suzuki, a mountain photographer, argues that the summer season has become overly commercialized, resembling a "tourist circuit" rather than genuine mountaineering. He has launched a petition with over 6,000 signatures against the proposed ban, advocating for regulated access rather than a complete prohibition. Suzuki believes a balance can be struck, allowing tourism in summer while preserving the mountain for serious climbers the rest of the year. He criticizes the authorities for treating climbers "practically like delinquents."

“

Through precise regulation, this balance can be achieved. Summer can be yielded to tourism, and the rest of the year can be kept available for mountaineers.