Fujiyoshida festival cancelled

Arakurayama Sengen Park draws roughly 200,000 visitors each spring and—during peak bloom—sees more than 10,000 people a day, according to the Fujiyoshida City press release dated Feb. 3, 2026. (city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp) The municipal statement documents specific incidents blamed on the influx: unlawful entry into private homes to use toilets, public defecation in residents’ yards, chronic traffic jams and crowds spilling onto school routes. (city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp) City officials said they will stop using the festival name this year but keep the park accessible while enforcing a package of countermeasures—extra security, traffic control, temporary toilets and timed entry for the observation deck—during an enhanced-management period from April 1–17, 2026 (traffic rules remain until April 19). (fujiyoshida.net) The municipality warned that the viewpoint’s queue typically reaches one to three hours and that on-site parking is limited, recommending the use of public transport and noting that temporary parking lots are distant and likely to fill. (city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp) Mayor Shigeru Horiuchi framed the move as a pivot toward “sustainable, high‑quality tourism,” saying the decision prioritizes protecting residents’ day‑to‑day lives over continuing the ten‑year‑old event banner. (city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp) Local and national outlets trace the formal festival’s launch to around 2016 and report a steep post‑pandemic surge in visitors—some accounts cite growth from tens of thousands to well over 200,000 in recent years—fueling the city’s current reassessment of how it manages the site. (gov-online.go.jp)