Oshino Hakkai overrun with coins
Oshino Hakkai, the spring complex near Mount Fuji, is facing ecological strain after tourists tossed an estimated 50,000 coins into its sacred ponds, prompting concerns about corrosion and pollution. (travelandtourworld.com) Local reports tie the behavior to overtourism pressures that the new lodging taxes aim to address. (travelandtourworld.com)
About 50,000 coins have been pulled from the spring ponds at Oshino Hakkai, a Mount Fuji heritage site, after years of tourist coin-tossing. (japannews.yomiuri.co.jp) The site in Oshino village has eight ponds fed by snowmelt from Mount Fuji that filters through volcanic rock for decades before reaching the surface. Oshino Hakkai is part of the Mount Fuji World Cultural Heritage site and has religious roots in Fuji worship. (yamanashi-kankou.jp) The coin buildup has accelerated in recent years. FNN Prime Online, cited by local and English-language reports, said volunteer divers recovered 4,400 coins in 2024 and 18,000 in 2025, pushing the total recovered so far to roughly 50,000. (unseen-japan.com) Officials and residents say the practice is not a local custom and are asking visitors to stop. Reports this month said warning signs have been posted in four languages and an offertory box is planned so visitors have a place to donate without throwing coins into the water. (newswav.com) The immediate concern is not just appearance. Local officials told reporters that current water tests show no abnormalities, but residents and the Yamanashi prefectural government are worried that corroding coins could damage water quality over time. (independent.co.uk) Oshino Hakkai has been under heavier pressure since Mount Fuji’s World Heritage inscription in June 2013. Yamanashi’s official tourism guide says the ponds were designated as part of that listing, and local reports say visitor numbers rose after the designation. (yamanashi-kankou.jp) Japan is also expanding local accommodation taxes as more destinations try to pay for tourism management. A travel guide published on April 6 said Hokkaido began its accommodation tax in April 2026, while Hiroshima Prefecture, Gifu City, Yugawara Town and Toba City also started taxes this month. (livejapan.com) That leaves Oshino Hakkai with a basic problem: the ponds are both a sacred water source and a mass-tourism stop. The clearer the water looks, the more obvious every coin becomes. (gov-online.go.jp)
