TRAVEL

The prefectural governments of Shizuoka and Yamanashi decided on Friday to collect entrance fees from climbers heading for the top of Mount Fuji on a trial basis in the form of donations of 1,000 yen starting late July. (Jiji Press)

Prefectural governments in the area of Mount Fuji are urging climbers to exercise caution in ascending Japan's highest peak. (NHK)

The prefectural governments of Yamanashi and Shizuoka, central Japan, agreed Tuesday to start collecting entrance fees from Mount Fuji climbers beginning next summer. (Jiji Press)

The governors of Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures have warned they might start charging an admission fee to visit Mount Fuji in a bid to finance environmental efforts on the iconic mountain. (Japan Times)

Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu is considering the introduction of an "entrance fee" for climbers scaling Mount Fuji and may even limit their numbers as part of efforts to preserve its environment and landscape. (Japan Times)

Mount Fuji has received its first snow of the season, which is 18 days earlier than average and 12 days earlier than last year, acccording to the Japan Meteorological Agency. (tbsnews)

East Japan Railway Co. has announced it will reopen the former Manseibashi Station as a new sightseeing spot and commercial center next summer. Located between Ochanomizu and Kanda stations, Manseibashi Station was built in 1912 as a terminal station on the Chuo Line. (Yomiuri)

Aogashima ("blue island") is a tropical, volcanic island in the Phillipine Sea. Despite being over 200 miles away from the country's capital, Aogashima is governed by Tokyo. In fact, a whole stretch of tropical and sometimes uninhabited islands called the Izu Islands are technically part of Tokyo. Volcanic islands? Not typically what comes to mind when you think of Tokyo. (boingboing.net)

A set of steps haunted by the ghost of a geisha slaughtered by a samurai, a graveyard filled with the eerie cries of babies, and a huge stone turtle that roams around in the dead of night are just some of the attractions featured in the popular ghost tour of Matsue, Ehime Prefecture. (Japan Times)

Expressways and train stations across the country struggled to cope with a Golden Week exodus Thursday, as travelers took advantage of the beginning of a four-day holiday to escape from the daily grind but in the process brave massive downpours. (Japan Times)

Shuni-e, a ceremony consisting of a series of rituals that have celebrated the coming of spring for over 1,000 years, will take place at Nara's Todai-ji Temple this month. The rituals are performed to bring good fortune to all of those who visit. During the two-week-long event, the Otaimatsu (fire ceremony) will be performed. Visitors gather in the temple's Nigatsu-do Hall after sunset and wait for a priest to emerge on the balcony above. The priest then holds out torches over the crowd, who touch the sparks that fall from those torches to receive good luck. On the final day, the last ritual to take place is the Omizutori (water ceremony). The temple's priest draws water from a well in the temple that only fills up during this time of year and passes it to visitors. (Japan Times)