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(CNN) — A picturesque Japanese town is putting up a giant mesh barrier to prevent famous selfies near Mount Fuji.
Fujikawaguchiko, at the foot of Yoshida Road towards Mount FujiIt is invaded by foreign tourists trying to get the perfect photo of Japan's most famous mountain.
Specifically, they stopped in front of Lawson, an establishment of a large Japanese department store chain, to capture the contrast between the busy, neon-lit store and the peaceful mountain behind it.
A local official told CNN that the city has had enough now, and is installing a net to block the view.
A tourist takes a photo at the Fujikawaguchiko site where the barrier will be raised. (Photo: Philip Fung/AFP/Getty Images)
The official, who did not want to be named, said that there are continuing problems with tourists leaving garbage and not respecting traffic rules. Despite signs and security guards posted to warn them, the situation remained unchanged.
“It is unfortunate that we had to take these measures,” the official said.
The network, which is 2.5 meters (8 feet) high and 20 meters (65 feet) wide, will be installed early next week.
Fujikawaguchiko is located in Yamanashi Prefecture, north of Fuji and about 100 km (62 mi) west of Tokyo.
The crowds sweeping through the small town are part of a larger problem affecting Japan.
Japan has seen problems with overtourism since it reopened after the pandemic in late 2022. March 2024 was the biggest tourism month in the country's history, receiving more than three million foreign tourists.
Many of them head straight for Mount Fuji, a symbol of Japan and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, leaving trash and causing erosion on their way.
“Overtourism — and all its consequences, such as litter, increased carbon dioxide emissions and reckless hikers — is the biggest problem facing Mount Fuji,” Masatake Izumi, one of the travelers, told CNN Travel last year.
Some locals even called the 3,776-meter (12-foot) mountain, called Fuji-san in Japanese, “garbage mountain.”
In an attempt to alleviate overcrowding, the Yamanashi Prefectural Government announced Many new policies for tourists, Including a 4,000 person per day limit for hikers and a mandatory fee of 2,000 yen (US$13) per person. Previously, payment was optional.
Erecting a barrier to block photographers also has precedent elsewhere in the world: there is the case of the Austrian city of Hallstatt, which is said to have inspired the look of Disney's hit film “Frozen.”
Hallstatt, which has about 800 permanent residents and receives up to 10,000 tourists a day in high season, She put up a wooden fence In May 2023 as a deterrent against selfie takers.