Authorities in the town of Fujiyoshida, located near Mount Fuji, have announced the cancellation of this year's cherry blossom festival, citing the overwhelming number of tourists as the central issue.
The area's popularity during the spring season has attracted excessive visitor numbers, leading to severe traffic congestion and littering. Local residents have reported incidents of tourists trespassing, including unauthorized access to private gardens for restroom use.
The cherry blossoms, which bloom dramatically against a backdrop of Mount Fuji, have made Fujiyoshida a sought-after destination. However, the mayor of Fujiyoshida expressed concerns about how tourism has been affecting the community's quality of life, emphasizing that the festival's cancellation is necessary to safeguard the citizens' dignity and living conditions.
We have a strong sense of crisis, said Mayor Shigeru Horiuchi during the announcement. In an effort to manage the visitor surge effectively, Fujiyoshida opened the gates of Arakurayama Sengen Park in 2016 to enhance tourism but has since experienced a dramatic increase in guests, with daily visitors during peak blossom season reaching up to 10,000.
The authorities linked the rise in tourist numbers to factors such as the weak yen and the viral nature of the destination on social media platforms.
Despite canceling the festival, the city is bracing for another busy tourist season this spring, urging visitors to respect the local environment and community.
This isn't a unique struggle for Fujiyoshida; similar incidents of overcrowding forced stringent measures against tourist disturbances in other iconic sites across Japan, reinforcing the global challenge of balancing tourism and community well-being.
