Fujiyoshida reports surge in tourists

Fujiyoshida, a city in Yamanashi Prefecture at the foot of Mount Fuji, canceled its 2026 cherry blossom festival after saying visitor numbers and bad behavior had exceeded what the area could handle. The decision centered on Arakurayama Sengen Park, the site of the Chureito Pagoda view that has spread widely on social media and drawn large foreign crowds in spring. (city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp) City officials said the influx had brought chronic traffic jams, trespassing, littering and sanitation problems in nearby residential areas. Japan’s broader tourism boom has added to the pressure, with the Japan National Tourism Organization saying foreign arrivals hit a record 42.68 million in 2025. ### Why did Fujiyoshida cancel a festival it had promoted for years? February 3 was the date Fujiyoshida announced it would not hold the 2026 Arakurayama Sengen Park Sakura Festival, an event the city said had been staged for about a decade to raise the area’s profile and attract visitors. The city said overtourism had gone beyond acceptable limits and was having a serious effect on residents’ living environment. Mayor Shigeru Horiuchi said in the city’s statement that protecting residents’ daily lives had to take priority over tourism promotion. The city said the move was intended to curb excessive concentration of visitors and reduce the burden on local people rather than stop travel to the area altogether. (city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp) ### What exactly were residents complaining about? Fujiyoshida said residents had reported unauthorized entry onto private property, people opening doors of private homes to ask to use toilets, discarded cigarette butts and other litter. The city also said there had been cases of people urinating in residential yards and shouting at residents who confronted them. (city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp) Arakurayama Sengen Park and the surrounding roads also became a safety issue, according to the city and Asahi Shimbun. The city said tourists spilled onto school routes, forcing children off sidewalks, while Asahi reported waits of up to three hours for the observation deck during the roughly two-week blossom period. (city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp) ### How big is the spring crowd around the Mount Fuji photo spot? More than 200,000 visitors now descend on Fujiyoshida during the festival period, according to the city and Asahi. The city said more than 10,000 people a day can arrive during peak cherry blossom season, far above what local roads and facilities were built to absorb. (city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp) The Mount Fuji backdrop has become one of Japan’s most recognizable travel images, and city officials said online exposure helped drive the surge after the pandemic. Fujiyoshida cited the weak yen and rapid expansion of the site’s visibility on social media as factors behind the rise in foreign visitors. (city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp) ### How does this fit into Japan’s wider tourism surge? Japan National Tourism Organization data show foreign arrivals reached 42.68 million in 2025 after 36.87 million in 2024, both record highs. JNTO said spending by foreign visitors reached 9.5 trillion yen in 2025. Those national gains have been unevenly distributed, with heavily photographed destinations bearing more of the strain. (city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp) Fujiyoshida’s statement said the increase in inbound visitors, especially during blossom season, had far exceeded expectations and was now affecting daily life in the neighborhoods around the park. ### If the festival was canceled, what measures stayed in place? (city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp) April 1 through April 17 was designated by the city as a reinforced response period around the park, with traffic restrictions extending through April 19. Fujiyoshida said it would continue to deploy security staff, direct traffic and install temporary parking and toilets because large numbers of visitors were still expected even without the festival branding. (jnto.go.jp) The city also said it would stop using the festival name on tourism websites and other publicity materials. Fujiyoshida asked visitors to use public transportation where possible and to avoid entering residential areas or taking photographs without permission. (city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp) May 8 was the date JNTO launched a new global tourism campaign after reporting record 2025 arrivals, while Fujiyoshida said it would keep working with residents and related agencies on systems that allow tourism and daily life to coexist. (jnto.go.jp) (city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp)