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Japanese town combating tourists by building screen to block view of Mt. Fuji

Instead of welcoming tourists and the dollars they spend, this town is trying to drive them away

Workers set up a barricade near the Lawson convenience store, where the popular photo spot framing a picturesque view of Mount Fuji in the background Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, central Japan. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) (Eugene Hoshiko, Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Usually towns that are in the middle of a popular tourist spot want to do all they can to cater to tourists.

After all, tourism is usually the lifeblood of the area economy in such towns.

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However, one town in Japan is actually so fed up with tourists that it’s coming up with a method to drive them away.

Workers in Fujikawaguchiko, a town in the northern foothills of Mt. Fuji, are building a large, black screen along a sidewalk to block the view of the iconic mountain for tourists.

The reason the town is doing this is because they are getting tired of misbehaving foreign tourists, according to The Guardian.

SUSONO, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 06: Mount Fuji is seen at the Mizugatsuka Parking Lot, the 2nd station of Mt. Fuji (Photo by Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images for NEC Corporation) (2021 Getty Images)

One town official said in the article that tourists have been leaving too much garbage on streets and ignoring traffic regulations.

Since travel restrictions were lifted following the COVID-19 pandemic, tourists have been going in droves to see Mt. Fuji. In March, the number of monthly visitors to Japan exceeded 3 million, according to the article.

Fujikawaguchiko provides a terrific view of Mt. Fuji, with many tourists taking pictures in front of a convenience store that has the mountain as a backdrop.

Evidently though, it’s become too good of a view for the town’s liking, so much so they are taking the unusual step of fighting back against tourists, instead of welcoming them and the money they typically spend.


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