Bianca Cheung & Shayla Maruca, TOUR-4110
October 31, 2025

Abstract

This paper explores the new tourism policies introduced in 2025, around Mount Fuji, Japan’s famous mountain and one of the most iconic nature attractions. Due to overcrowding and environmental damage from increasing visitor numbers, Yamanashi Prefecture implemented new regulations, including daily visitor limit, mandatory fees, and limited climbing hours for the popular Yoshida Trail.

These measures are designed to enhance safety, reduce environmental harm, and better manage tourism’s impact. This policy aims for a balance between promoting tourism and protecting the mountain’s cultural and natural value. Economically, the new fee system provides dedicated funding for trail maintenance and public facilities.

Despite the new policies, overtourism remains a major challenge, as visitor numbers have not declined significantly. Environmental improvements are planned but depend on reducing climber density.

The policy shapes current ideas on sustainable tourism and economic approaches that support government involvement in control of visitor impact. This paper also discusses how changing traveler attitudes, especially among younger travelers who prioritize sustainability, affect tourism management. The policy has potential to support long-term sustainability but needs ongoing evaluation from stakeholders to balance tourism growth and maintaining of Mount Fuji’s unique culture and environment.

Introduction

Mount Fuji, Japan’s tallest mountain, is recognized worldwide for its spiritual meaning and for its stunning scenery. Each year, many local and international climbers and sightseers visits for its adventurous climbing opportunities and culture experiences at Mount Fuji and other areas around. Mount Fuji’s increasing popularity has raised concerns about overcrowding, environmental damage, and visitor safety. Local governments, including those in Yamanashi Prefecture, have implemented new regulations to regulate tourist numbers, improve safety, and maintain Mount Fuji’s ecosystem.

This paper analyzes the new tourism policies around Mount Fuji, and how they affect the economy, local communities, and the environment. It explores ways to develop a more sustainable tourism model while preserving its culture and natural value. The main idea is that long-term success depends on good decision making and the collaboration of all stakeholders.

Snapshot

Japan is among the leading destinations for traveling in Asia with millions of travelers visiting each year. According to the data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has mentioned that 25.07 million international tourists visited through the country in 2023, making Japan the third most travelled country in Asia (Huazan & Subagio, 2025).

Out of all the tourist attractions in Japan, Mount Fuji is the most well-known and symbolic landmark. At 3,376 meters, Mount Fuji is Japans highest peak and has long been considered a sacred site, with its religious, meaning and centuries old role as a pilgrimage mountain serving as the primary reasons for its recognition as a UNESCO World heritage site in 2013 (Jones et al., 2016).

Mount Fuji remains one of the world’s best known tourist destinations today (Jones et al., 2016), drawing climbers from all over the world. Most tourists attempt to reach the top by sunrise, which is considered an awe-inspiring but also a spiritual experience (Uno et al., 2019). The climbing season for Mount Fuji starts from early July to early September (Mt. Fuji Climbing, 2025c). The mountain lies on the border of Yamanishi and Shizuoka Prefectures, and both provide trails to the summit (Bononi, 2025). There are four main trails: Yoshida, Subashiri, Gotemba, and Fujinomiya (Mt. Fuji Climbing, 2025a).

Figure 1: Four Trails to Climb Mt. Fuji

The Yoshida trail is the most popular, used by 56.2% climbers, about 114, 857 people in the summer of 2024 (Mt. Fuji Climbing, 2025a). On average, climbing the trail takes six hours up, four hours down, and one hour of rest, totaling about eleven hours (Yamanashi Prefecture, 2025a). Yamanashi Prefecture manages the Yoshida Trail and is known for its natural beauty, historical culture, and local cuisine, all of which attract visitors (Yamanashi Prefectures, 2025c).

Yamanashi region focuses on the three main types of tourism: nature and outdoor experiences, cultural and historical tourism, and wine and food (Yamanashi Prefectures, 2025c). Despite its many assets, Yamanashi’s overall tourism profile is less well-known compared to its neighboring prefectures (Yamanashi Prefecture, 2025c). To improve its attractiveness, the local government developed the “Yamanashi Region Promotion Strategy” (Yamanashi Prefecture, 2025c). The project intends to properly use the prefecture’s regional resources, establish its brand image, and rebuild the local economy (Yamanashi Prefecture, 2025c).

Policy Analysis & Critique

This conference paper provides a critical analysis of the newly implemented tourism policies at Mount Fuji, specifically the regulations for the Yoshida Trail by Yamanashi Prefecture. The mountain climbing regulations include a mandatory 4,000 yen fee for climbers, an entry time restriction between the hours of 2 p.m. to 3 a.m., and a daily cap of 4,000 people (Yamanashi Prefecture, 2025a) (Mt. Fuji Climbing, 2025c). This policy was modified from an earlier framework that was introduced in 2013 that included a 1,000-yen road usage fee for climbers with voluntary donations for Yamanashi Mount Fuji Conservation Cooperation Fund, which was established to fund conservation and maintain existing facilities (Hauzan & Subagio, 2025).

These new regulations are a written statement with comprehensive strategy that uses legal, technical, practical, and operational actions together to address the problems (SAIT, 2025a). It was developed through decision-making to preserve the long term sustainability and showed the determination to ensure visitor safety and manage negative tourist impacts by moderating the numbers of tourists.

This tourism policy, which involves all government decisions, non-decisions, actions, and inactions in terms of tourism, integrates a spatial-physical framework with a conflict management approach (SAIT, 2025a).  Spatial-physical planning uses methods such as zoning and land use to arrange the layout of development plan, that focus on identifying the suitable areas for tourism development and protected zones to achieve sustainability (McLeod, 2024). Conflict management tourism policy addresses competing aims and objectives among various tourism stakeholders that contribute to the decision-making in the tourism sector, such as government, local community, environment, tourists, and tourism enterprises (McLeod, 2024) (McLeod et al., 2018).

Background

These climbing regulations were implemented in July 2025 and established by the Council for Promotion of Appropriate Use at Mount Fuji, which includes Ministry of the Environment, Yamanashi Prefecture, and Shizuoka Prefecture (Yamanashi Prefecture, 2025a). The intentions are to ensure visitor safety and manage tourist impact caused by overcrowding and climbers descending the mountain without rest (Mt. Fuji Climbing, 2025e). The target audiences of this policy include direct users (climbers of the Yoshida Trail and all sightseers to Mount Fuji), the local communities and tourism industry (Yamanashi local residents and commercial tour operators) and the wider public (local and international). The primary interest focuses on the safety of climbers and protecting the environment, which creates benefits for climbers, the environment, local communities that gain potential revenue from fees, and emergency services with fewer rescues.

The true values of this policy are managing conflict and changing Mount Fuji’s brand identity. The phenomenon of overtourism at Mount Fuji has been occurring for over 20 years and has caused issues that have become contentious for the local residents and environment (Hauzan & Subagio, 2025). The natural destination image of Mount Fuji has been damaged by a high density of climbers, which has lowered the quality of tourism by increased crowds, noise pollution, and scattered litter (Hauzan & Subagio, 2025).

Factors shaping the policy

Mount Fuji climbing regulations were influenced by different internal and external factors. This paper will focus on internal factors of tourism development paradigms and Keynesianism economic thought, and the external factors of changing perceptions of customers and socioeconomic changes.

Internal factors

This policy represents a practical application of degrowth and alternative development paradigms. The term “tourism degrowth” is relatively recent, and the concept is to plan reduction in the resources used and waste produced by tourism activities through de-touristification (Murray et al, 2025). De-touristification is to downsizing of tourism with combined with a process of degrowth-inspired economic diversification, particularly within those very touristified areas (Murray et al, 2025).

Yamanashi Prefecture used this policy as a primary implementation strategy to moderate the number of climbers. However, this policy directly contrasts with the Japanese government’s national tourism policy. To boost an economy that is heavily reliant on foreign travelers, Japan aims to attract 60 million international visitors by 2030 with the main target of Chinese and South Korean travelers (Bononi, 2025).

This policy was shaped significantly by alternative development. The primary function of alternative development is to maximize development benefits for destination communities, minimize social and environmental harm, and provide more meaningful experiences for visitors (SAIT, 2025b).  The term “overtourism” became popular in 2017 and is defined by the overcrowding of visitors in a tourist destination, which leads to littering, noise pollution, environmental degradation and other negative aspects that impact the lives of both tourists and local communities (Bononi, 2025). Many of Japan’s major tourist sites, including Mount Fuji, are experiencing overtourism from both international and domestic tourists (Bononi, 2025). Yamanashi Prefecture are implementing this policy to minimize the environmental damage caused by international tourists and the inconvenience of heavy disruptions in the daily lives of local communities (Bononi, 2025).

This policy is also shaped by Keynesianism economic thought. One of Keynesianism’s core principles is that markets do not self-regulate effectively, therefore government intervention is essential (SAIT, 2025). The lack of visitor restriction regulations implemented by the local government is one of the causes to overtourism in Mount Fuji (Hauzan & Subagio, 2025). Therefore, Yamanashi Prefecture implemented this tourism policy to mitigate overtourism and its negative effects (Hauzan & Subagio, 2025).

External factors

Changing perceptions of customers are reshaping the tourism industry. Growing global concern over the issues of climate change and biodiversity loss has increased scrutiny of the travel industry’s environmental and social impacts, prompting increased public demand for more sustainable tourism (Seyfi et al, 2025). Generation Z (Gen Z), who are born between the late 1990s and late 2000s, is often labeled as a generation with strong pro-sustainability sensibilities (Seyfi et al, 2025). Gen Z represents one of the largest generational groups worldwide with an estimated 32% share of the global population, they have become a strategic focus for the tourism industry (Seyfi et al, 2025). In order to develop sustainability-oriented innovations that enhance the attractiveness of the Mount Fuji, Yamanashi Prefecture implemented this policy to emphasize their awareness of sustainable tourism (Walker et al, 2024).

Socioeconomic changes also shaped this policy. First, the weak currency helped create a powerful incentive for international tourists to visit Japan. The Japanese yen fell to its lowest level in 34 years against the U.S. dollar, and this makes Japan a highly affordable and attractive destination for international tourists due to a significant reduction in the cost of travel and increasing purchasing power (Chisholm, 2024). This enhanced overtourism in Japan’s popular attractions, including Mount Fuji. Second, the large interest in experiences has fueled revenue in the tourism industry (SAIT, 2025c). Many individuals travel to different destinations to gain new experiences, especially Gen Z, who look for a strong online presence and are heavily influenced by social media (Costa, 2022) (SAIT, 2025c). Mount Fuji’s appeal has been strengthened by numerous viral photos on social media of its natural scenery (Hauzan & Subagio, 2025). Those socioeconomic changes contributed to overtourism at Mount Fuji, forcing Yamanashi Prefecture to implement this policy.

Policy Impacts

Due to the newly implemented policy in July 2025, the long term economic, social, environmental, and administrative impacts, as well as the success in conflict management and brand identity change, cannot yet to be fully determined. This analysis will focus on the policy’s immediate economic impacts and forecast its projected social and environmental impacts.

Economic

This policy showed significant improvement the funding for maintenance and service in 2025. In 2025, Yamanashi Prefecture issued 149,713 permits and collected 591,384,000 yen of in usage fee (Yamanashi Prefecture, 2025b). The collected fee increased by 64.85% compared to 2024, which consisted of 297,826,000 yen in usage fee and 60,920,790 yen in voluntary donations for Yamanashi Mount Fuji Conservation Cooperation Fund (Yamanashi Prefecture, 2025b). The increased revenue can not only help fund conservation and maintain existing facilities but also be used to develop more public infrastructure, such as adding parking lots to tackle illegal parking and building public toilets to address the existing shortage (Hauzan & Subagio, 2025). This analysis projects that increased funding will enhance Mouth Fuji’s branding and generative a positive long term economic impact.

Figure 2: Comparison of Fee Collection between 2024 and 2025

Social

The projected outcomes of this policy for conflict management may not be achievable in the short term. The number of permits remained almost the same, with 149,713 issued in 2025, compared to 149,701 in 2024 (Yamanashi Prefecture, 2025b). Even though Yamanashi Prefecture believe raising the climbing fee is the best way to tackle the overtourism phenomenon, the 4,000 yen mandatory fee failed to act as an effective deterrent in 2025 (Hauzan & Subagio, 2025). With the Japanese government’s initiative to promote tourism and attract international visitors, Mount Fuji may be experiencing more severe overcrowding and overtourism that could lead to intensified conflict.

Figure 3: Comparison of Fee Collection between 2024 and 2025

Environmental

A slight improvement can be predicted due to the increased funding. However, the negative environmental impacts caused by overtourism will not be addressed unless the core issues are resolved. Yamanashi Prefecture could use this increased funding to build more toilets and waste facilities, which would help reduce indiscriminate littering and improper human waste disposal (Hauzan & Subagio, 2025). High pressure of human activity damages to the Mount Fuji’s ecosystem, causing erosion occurring on the climbing trails, damage to vegetation, and disturbance to wildlife in the area (Hauzan & Subagio, 2025). If the number of climbers deceases, these negative impacts could be reduced, but this could also lead to less funding.

Suggestion of strategic changes of the policy

After implementing this Mount Fuji policy in 2025, the number of permits remained almost the same. Therefore, to achieve immediate and faster result, increasing the climbing fee and lowering the maximum number of climbers per day are two recommendations to help the existing policy to handle overtourism and protect the environment.

First, the mandatory climbing fee should be increased. The current fee of 4,000 yen per person has proven insufficient to moderate climbers numbers. A lot of international tourists see climbing Mount Fuji as a once in a lifetime experience, especially since UNESCO lists it as a World Heritage Site. Many international tourists perceive the current fee as reasonable. Therefore, increasing the fee to 6,000 yen per person could help to reduce the daily climber numbers by discouraging casual travelers, while remaining acceptable for those serious climbers. This reduction could enhance climber safety and lower the environmental pressure.

Second, lowering the maximum number of climbers per day from 4,000 to 2,500 and restricting tourists who don’t have mountain hut reservations during Mount Fuji busy season can help Mount Fuji achieve it’s new policy goals. By reducing the number of climbers, it will help control overtourism and prevent overcrowding on the trails and at the top of the mountain. This not only makes it safer but also a more enjoyable experience for the visitors while at the same time taking care of the environment.  Less people on Mount Fuji results in reduced damage to trails and wildlife, as well as a big decrease in litter and waste problems. Requiring climbers to reserve mountain huts encourages responsible travel because hut members have access to sanitary facilities and restrooms. This approach minimizes the overall impact on Mount Fuji’s ecosystem and keeps the mountain cleaner.

Conclusion

Yamanashi Prefecture’s continued dedication to preventing overtourism and developing sustainable tourism practices through stronger regulations and better management is reflected in the new Mount Fuji tourism policy. The introduction of a 4,000-yen climbing fee and a daily visitor limit has helped improve safety and generate funds for environmental preservation.

However, these measures haven’t completely solved issues like overcrowding or environmental damage. The policy demonstrates the importance of government intervention in reducing the impacts of tourism. It also connects to ideas like managing growth, focusing on local government, and guiding the economy with support from the government. Still, it is difficult to predict how effective the policy will be due to factors like Japan’s weak currency and the increase in international tourism. Long term success depends on collaboration between the national and local governments, stricter reinforcement of visitor limits, and ongoing monitoring. Overall, this policy constitutes a major strategic shift towards establishing a more sustainable and responsible tourism model for one of Japan’s most revered natural sites.

References

Bononi, E. (2025). The role of social media in Japan’s overtourism crisis. Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/891631/Bononi_Elena.pdf;jsessionid=8BF749AFF48BA416CC5C8ED8F9EE7002?sequence=2

Chisholm, J. (2024, April 26). Yen slumps to fresh 34-year low as Bank of Japan stands pat with no sign of intervention. Market Watch. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/yen-slumps-to-fresh-34-year-low-as-bank-of-japan-stands-pat-with-no-sign-of-intervention-57dd1fe0

Costa, R. (2022). Planning and managing the experience economy in tourism. Business Science Reference.

Hauzan, M. & Subagio, D. (2025). Fenomena Overtourism di Kawasan Gunung Fuji dan Sekitarnya. Universitas Indonesia. https://scholarhub.ui.ac.id/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1162&context=multikultura

Jones, T. E., Yang, Y., & Yamamoto, K. (2016). Inbound, Expat, and Domestic Climbers: A Segment-Based Expenditure Analysis of Mount Fuji’s Summer Season. Tourism Review International, 20(2), 155–163. https://doi.org/10.3727/154427216X14713104855892

McLeod, M. (2024). Island Tourism Policy and Sustainable Development. (1st ed.). Taylor & Francis Group.

McLeod, M., Chambers, D., & Airey, D. (2018). A comparative analysis of tourism policy networks. In M. McLeod & R. Croes (Eds.), Tourism management in warm-water island destinations (pp. 77–94). Wallingford, UK: CABI.

Mt. Fuji Climbing. (2025a, May 1). Mountain Trails. Official Web Site for Mt. Fuji Climbing. https://www.fujisan-climb.jp/en/trails/mountain-trails-index.html

Mt. Fuji Climbing. (2025b, May 1). Features of Trails. [Online image]. Official Web Site for Mt. Fuji Climbing. https://www.fujisan-climb.jp/en/trails/mountain-trails-index.html

Mt. Fuji Climbing. (2025c, September 11). For all Mt. Fuji climbers. (2025 summer). Official Web Site for Mt. Fuji Climbing. https://www.fujisan-climb.jp/en/trails/mountain-trails-index.html

Mt. Fuji Climbing. (2025d, September 11). Four Trails to Climb Mt. Fuji. [Online image]. Official Web Site for Mt. Fuji Climbing. https://www.fujisan-climb.jp/en/trails/mountain-trails-index.html

Mt. Fuji Climbing. (2025e, September 11). Yoshida Trail – Restrictions Overview & FAQ ***The 2025 Mountaineering Season Has Ended***. Official Web Site for Mt. Fuji Climbing. https://www.fujisan-climb.jp/en/yoshida_trail_faq.html

Murray, I., Fletcher, R., Blázquez-Salom, M., Blanco-Romero, A., Cañada, E., & Sekulova, F. (2025). Tourism and degrowth. Tourism Geographies, 27(3–4), 547–557. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2023.2293956

SAIT. (2025a). Module: Policy and Planning. In TOUR 4110 A: Tourism Policy [Module]. D2L/Brightspace. https://learn.sait.ca

SAIT. (2025b). Module: Economic Development. In TOUR 4110 A: Tourism Policy [Module]. D2L/Brightspace. https://learn.sait.ca

SAIT. (2025c). Module 2: Finance in the Hospitality Industry. In FNCE 4210: Financial Management in Hospitality and Tourism [Module]. D2L/Brightspace. https://learn.sait.ca

Seyfi, S., Michael Hall, C., & Strzelecka, M. (2025). Gen Z – pioneers or paradox in sustainable tourism? Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 33(6), 987–1015. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2025.2491702

Walker, T., Demir, E., Machnik-Kekesi, G., Kelly, V., & EBSCOhost. (2024). Sustainable tourism: frameworks, practices, and innovative solutions (T. Walker, E. Demir, G. Machnik-Kekesi, & V. Kelly, Eds.). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43528-7

Uno, T., Fujino, M., Ohwaki, A., & Horiuchi, M. (2019). Prevalence of Falls on Mount Fuji and Associated with Risk Factors: A Questionnaire Survey Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(21), 4234. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16214234

Yamanashi Prefecture. (2025a, September 11). Mt. Fuji climbing in FY2025. https://www.pref.yamanashi.jp.e.aao.hp.transer.com/fujisan/annzenn/documents/r7fujitozan.html

Yamanashi Prefecture. (2025a, September 11). Mt. Fuji climbing in FY2025. [Online image]. https://www.pref.yamanashi.jp.e.aao.hp.transer.com/fujisan/annzenn/documents/r7fujitozan.html

Yamanashi Prefecture. (2025b, September 30). Results of Mount Fuji Mountaineering  Regulations.https://www.pref.yamanashi.jp.e.aao.hp.transer.com/fujisan/annzenn/documents/r7fujitozan.html

Yamanashi Prefecture. (2021, April 12). Formulation of “Yamanashi Region Promotion Strategy”.https://www.pref.yamanashi.jp.e.aao.hp.transer.com/kankou-k/local-promotion-plan202103.html