Japan imposes new fees on Mount Fuji climbers to limit tourists

Park rangers on Japan's sacred Mount Fuji officially started this year's climbing season about 90 minutes before sunrise on Monday, levying new trail fees and limiting hiker numbers to curb overcrowding.

At 3am, officials opened a newly installed gate at a station placed just over halfway up the 12,388-ft peak that is a symbol of Japan and a magnet for tourists, now swarming into the country at a record pace.

Climbers must pay 2,000 yen ($12) and their numbers will be limited to 4,000 a day after complaints of litter, pollution and dangerously crowded trails flowed in last year.

"I think Mount Fuji will be very happy if everyone is more conscious about the environment and things like taking rubbish home with them," said Sachiko Kan, 61, who was one of about 1,200 hikers who gathered on the first day of the new measures.

The yen's slide to a 38-year low has made Japan an irresistible bargain for overseas visitors.

They are injecting record sums into national coffers but are also putting strains on facilities for travel and hospitality, not to mention the patience of locals.

Hordes of tourists became a traffic hazard at a nearby photography spot where Mount Fuji appeared to float over a convenience store, driving officials to put up a barrier of black mesh to obstruct the view that had gone viral online.

The climbing season this year on Mount Fuji, which straddles the prefectures of Yamanashi and Shizuoka about 136 km from Tokyo, runs until September 10, after which the weather gets too cold and snowy.