Oshino Hakkai under strain
Oshino Hakkai, a sacred pond area near Mount Fuji, is suffering ecological damage after roughly 50,000 coins have been thrown into its springs, accelerating corrosion and stressing the site’s environment. (Travel And Tour World: Oshino Hakkai’s Sacred Springs Under Threat) (travelandtourworld.com).
Tourists have thrown about 50,000 coins into the sacred spring ponds of Oshino Hakkai, and local officials now warn the buildup is threatening water quality. (japannews.yomiuri.co.jp) The problem is most visible at Wakuike Pond, where the water is clear enough to see roughly 4 meters to the bottom. Yomiuri reported on April 8 that corroding coins are now scattered across several of the eight ponds. (japannews.yomiuri.co.jp) Oshino village says the coin tossing picked up after Mount Fuji’s World Heritage designation in 2013, and recovered coins include foreign currencies from Western and Asian countries. The site draws millions of domestic and international visitors each year. (japannews.yomiuri.co.jp) Oshino Hakkai is not a decorative fountain. It is a set of eight spring-fed ponds in Yamanashi Prefecture that form part of the UNESCO-listed “Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration” property. (whc.unesco.org, gov-online.go.jp) The water comes from rain and snow that fell on Mount Fuji, then filtered underground through volcanic rock for more than 20 years before surfacing in Oshino. Japan’s government says the ponds have long been used for drinking water, farming, and religious purification. (gov-online.go.jp) Yamanashi’s official tourism guide says the ponds were once known as the Fujisan Nemoto Hakko Sacred Grounds, and pilgrims purified themselves there before climbing Mount Fuji. Waku Pond is still promoted as so clean that visitors are encouraged to drink from it and take some home. (yamanashi-kankou.jp) The coin count has risen fast. Reports citing local volunteer cleanups say about 4,400 coins were recovered in 2024 and roughly 18,000 in 2025. (unseen-japan.com, youtube.com) Officials have already posted “no coin throwing” signs in four languages, and outside reports say Oshino plans to add an offertory box so visitors have a place to leave money without putting it in the water. (youtube.com, newswav.com) The clash is partly cultural. A tourist from the United States told Yomiuri that tossing coins into fountains is common at home, but seeing the practice in a natural spring was “regrettable.” (japannews.yomiuri.co.jp) For Oshino Hakkai, the cleanup is now about restoring a place that was protected as a Natural Monument in 1934 and later named one of Japan’s 100 best water sources in 1985. The coins can be removed, but the site’s value depends on keeping the ponds clear enough to remain what they have been for centuries. (gov-online.go.jp, japan.travel)
