Now, Japan In Need Of Sustainable Tourism: Mt. Fuji Turns Into ‘trash Mountain’ Amidst Overtourism Crisis

Sunday, July 13, 2025

In 2024 Japan collapsed its ain singular grounds for tourism, reaching millions of overseas visitors to its world-renowned locations. But pinch that surge comes a caller problem: overtourism. While Japan knows it will proceed to tackle nan challenges of overtourism, discarded guidance and nan protection of section culture. In caller years, Mount Fuji, 1 of Japan’s astir iconic and revered sites, has received unwelcome attention, arsenic its antecedently pristine slopes are marred by discarded and earning it nan ignoble nickname “trash mountain.” This reality underscores nan value of responsible and sustainable tourism manufacture practices successful nan full country.

Japan’s Tourism Milestone and nan Consequences of Overtourism

Japan’s tourism manufacture collapsed records successful 2024, welcoming much visitors than ever before. The country’s taste heritage, stunning landscapes, and world-class attractions person agelong been cardinal draws for world travelers. As Japan continues to prosecute its extremity of welcoming 60 cardinal visitors annually by 2030, nan unit connected its tourism infrastructure is becoming much evident. The accelerated summation successful nan number of visitors has strained nan earthy environment, peculiarly successful celebrated destinations for illustration Mount Fuji, Kyoto, and Tokyo.

The business is exacerbated by a increasing arena of “overtourism,” wherever nan influx of travelers overwhelms section communities, earthy sites, and moreover nan tourism manufacture itself. Mount Fuji, which draws millions of visitors annually, has go a awesome of this caller challenge. Once a serene and belief site, it is now facing an biology situation arsenic visitors time off down litter, disrupt ecosystems, and lend to nan degradation of this UNESCO World Heritage site.

Mt. Fuji’s ‘Trash Mountain’ Dilemma: A Wake-Up Call for Japan

Mt. Fuji, Japan’s iconic peak, has agelong been a awesome of nationalist pridefulness and a celebrated tourer destination. However, successful caller years, nan mountain’s fame has turned into a liability. The sheer measurement of visitors ascending nan mountain, galore of whom time off discarded behind, has caused important biology damage. The accumulation of trash, including integrative bottles, nutrient wrappers, and discarded clothing, has turned definite areas of Mt. Fuji into what immoderate person dubbed a “trash mountain.”

The rumor is not isolated to Mt. Fuji alone. Japan’s different tourer hotspots, including Kyoto’s temples and Tokyo’s bustling shopping districts, are besides emotion nan strain of overtourism. With tourism numbers expected to proceed growing, nan country’s authorities and section authorities are being forced to reevaluate really to equilibrium nan economical benefits of tourism pinch nan request to protect nan situation and taste heritage.

Sustainable Tourism: Japan’s Path Forward

In consequence to nan challenges posed by overtourism, Japan is progressively turning to sustainable tourism arsenic a solution. Sustainable tourism focuses connected reducing nan biology footprint of tourism, promoting responsible recreation practices, and ensuring that nan benefits of tourism are shared by section communities.

Japan’s authorities has been proactive successful encouraging eco-friendly recreation practices, pinch various initiatives aimed astatine reducing waste, conserving resources, and preserving taste heritage. For example, nan “Tourism for All” programme promotes responsible recreation behavior, urging visitors to respect section traditions, trim waste, and support sustainable businesses. The programme besides advocates for nan promotion of lesser-known destinations to easiness nan load connected overcrowded hotspots.

One of nan astir important initiatives is nan preamble of a two-tier pricing strategy astatine celebrated tourer attractions, including restaurants, taxable parks, and hotels. Under this system, world visitors salary higher prices than section residents, a move designed to negociate request and make costs for nan attraction of taste and earthy sites. However, this strategy has sparked controversy, pinch immoderate arguing that it whitethorn alienate overseas visitors.

Additionally, Japan has started to attraction connected location tourism development. By encouraging travelers to sojourn lesser-known regions, nan authorities hopes to alleviate unit connected overcrowded areas and stimulate economical maturation successful less-visited regions. This strategy besides promotes much sustainable recreation by spreading tourism benefits much evenly crossed nan country.

The Impact connected Japan’s Regional and Global Tourism Industry

Japan’s tourism surge has implications not conscionable for its section communities but besides for nan broader location and world tourism industry. As Japan continues to pull ample numbers of world travelers, nan country’s tourism policies will inevitably power tourism trends crossed Asia and beyond. The emergence of overtourism successful Japan is serving arsenic a cautionary communicative for different nations that are experiencing akin maturation successful visitant numbers.

As nan world tourism manufacture faces expanding unit to reside sustainability, Japan’s experiences pinch overtourism and discarded guidance connection valuable lessons. The country’s efforts to equilibrium tourism maturation pinch biology preservation could group a exemplary for different destinations dealing pinch akin challenges.

In particular, Japan’s accent connected sustainable tourism could power location tourism practices successful countries for illustration South Korea, China, and Southeast Asia, wherever accelerated tourism maturation is besides starring to concerns complete overtourism and biology damage. By starring nan measurement successful promoting eco-friendly recreation and taste preservation, Japan tin position itself arsenic a leader successful sustainable tourism practices.

The Way Forward: Building a Resilient and Sustainable Tourism Sector

Looking ahead, Japan’s tourism manufacture must proceed to innovate and accommodate to guarantee its semipermanent sustainability. The preamble of sustainable practices, specified arsenic discarded simplification programs, eco-friendly recreation options, and acquisition campaigns for some visitors and locals, will beryllium basal successful mitigating nan antagonistic impacts of overtourism.

On nan 1 hand, nan tourism roar has had a awesome economical effect connected Japan, but nan state now needs to onslaught a equilibrium betwixt maturation and conservation. The lessons of “trash mountain” fuji should shingle up nan full argumentation connected tourism. With thoughtful coordination and practice among nan government, section communities, and nan backstage sector, Japan should beryllium capable to stay a welcoming tourer destination for nan world while protecting its earthy and taste assets for generations to come. Japan tin make judge its tourism manufacture stays connected nan broadside of economical growth, taste speech and biology sustainability by becoming a world leader successful sustainable tourism.