Mount Fuji photo row highlights Japan's overtourism crisis

Selfie mania blights scenic locations and triggers fierce debate about remedies

Fuji Reuters.JPG

The crowds are big and growing on Mount Fuji, prompting local governments to consider new ways to manage the flow of people and protect the mountain's World Heritage Site status.   © Reuters

MICHIYO NAKAMOTO, Contributing writer

TOKYO -- When tourists started to congregate in droves in front of a convenience store on a small street in Fuji Kawaguchiko, disrupting traffic and dropping trash, the local authorities came up with an extreme solution to keep the crowds away.

The tourists were there because Mount Fuji, Japan's most famous mountain, provides a backdrop that is almost a must for social media posts. In an attempt to stop selfie-obsessed tourists blocking the road, the local authorities put up black netting to block the coveted view.

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