Fujiyoshida erects 2.5m net at Fuji

Fujikawaguchiko put up a black mesh screen in May 2024 to block the viral Mount Fuji view behind a Lawson convenience store. (japantoday.com) The barrier was built across from the store after the photo angle spread online and drew crowds to a narrow roadside in Yamanashi Prefecture. (japantoday.com) (cbsnews.com) Town officials said the screen was 20 meters wide and 2.5 meters high. Reuters reported workers finished installing it on May 21, 2024. (japantoday.com) Residents said the problem was not the mountain itself but the way visitors chased the shot. Locals complained about jaywalking, littering, illegal parking and people stopping in unsafe places along the road. (japantoday.com) That Lawson screen became a symbol of a wider struggle around Mount Fuji, where small communities are trying to manage photo tourism driven by social media. (japantoday.com) (nytimes.com) In nearby Fujiyoshida, another Mount Fuji image went viral: the view from Arakurayama Sengen Park, where cherry blossoms, a five-story pagoda and the peak line up in one frame. (asahi.com) (cbc.ca) Fujiyoshida canceled its 2026 cherry blossom festival after announcing on Feb. 3 that overtourism had exceeded what the city could accommodate. More than 200,000 visitors now arrive during the festival period, with over 10,000 a day during the roughly two-week peak. (asahi.com) The city kept the park open but added security guards, road closures, temporary parking and toilets from April 1 to 17, 2026. It warned that waits for the viewing deck could run from one to three hours, with five-minute rotations. (fujiyoshida.net) Fujiyoshida’s own tourism guide now labels Honcho Street a social-media hot spot and tells visitors not to stand in the roadway for photos. The city also asks people to stay quiet because the area is both commercial and residential. (fujiyoshida.net) City tourism chief Masatoshi Hada told CBC that the famous Arakurayama image began circulating about a decade ago and now drives much of Fujiyoshida’s tourism. CBC reported the city deployed dozens of security staff and was handling about 13,000 people a day in peak season. (cbc.ca) The net at the Lawson store was the blunt version of the same policy: if one camera angle overwhelms a neighborhood, officials may remove the angle instead of the mountain. (japantoday.com) (fujiyoshida.net)