Mt. Fuji climbing season opens on Shizuoka side with new restrictions
Mount Fuji straddles Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures. The Fujinomiya, Gotemba and Subashiri trails on the Shizuoka side opened for the summer climbing season on Thursday, following the opening of a route in Yamanashi last week.
The Shizuoka Prefectural Government removed a barricade on the Fujinomiya trail at the mountain's sixth stage as about 20 trekkers watched.
They began heading for the mountain's peak after the trail officially opened at 9 a.m.
Past seasons have seen problems such as people attempting to reach the peak in all-night "bullet" climbs or getting lost on the mountain.
In response, both Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures have enacted ordinances to restrict climbers. From this season, Shizuoka Prefecture charges 4,000 yen, or about 27 dollars, per climber, and its trails are closed between the hours of 2 p.m. and 3 a.m.
Yamanashi Prefecture imposes the same restrictions, plus it limits the number of climbers to 4,000 per day.
A hut has been set up at the entrance of the Fujinomiya trail on the mountain's fifth stage for climbers to follow the new procedures. There they must make a payment and show wristbands to security guards before climbing further.
A woman from Kanagawa Prefecture said she has been looking forward to the start of the climbing season. She added that's she's in favor of the new restrictions, saying she wants to make the climb safely.
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