Travel

Bulleting Up Mount Fuji? Just Don't Do It!

TOKYO, Jun 22 (News On Japan) - Japan has re-opened to overseas tourists, summer is here and the official climbing season for Mount Fuji is about to start, but authorities are urging caution when making an assault on Japan’s highest mountain.

Restrictions on movement that applied during the COVID-19 pandemic have been lifted and authorities are expecting a surge in climbers when the iconic symbol of Japan officially opens its scaling season on July 1.

Local authorities fear dangan tozan, literally bullet mountain climbing, which is the term used to describe scaling the 3,776.24 m-high mountain overnight without taking a rest.

Opponents of the rest-free climbs, which the Council for the Promotion of the Proper Use of Mt. Fuji estimates account for one third of all people who scale Japan’s highest mountain, say that it increases the likelihood of altitude sickness and accidents, as well as leads to crowding on the mountain trails. And some say the bullet climbers make the mountain dirtier because they leave their trash there.

Most bullet climbers are looking to climb to the top of the mountain to watch the sunrise from the summit or thereabouts, so start climbing in the early evening to time their arrival for the following dawn. Climbs usually take several hours to complete, and though getting up Mount Fuji is not extreme in terms of mountaineering ability, it is physically demanding. This year marks the first unrestricted climbing season on Mount Fuji since 2019.

Bullet climb opponents are urging people to leave early and stay in one of the huts on the mountain trails, getting a good rest and acclimatizing, and then waking early to resume climbing to watch the sun come up the following morning.

“We’re delighted that lots of people want to climb, but it all becomes nothing if there is an accident,” Osamu Nakamura, chairman of the Mt. Fuji Yoshidaguchi Ryokan Kumiai, an association of managers of huts on Mount Fuji, told Sankei News. “Have fun without overdoing it.”

The association website argues that: “Climbing overnight increases the risk of accidents and altitude sickness because of exhaustion.”

The mayor of Fujiyoshida, the municipality where most of Mount Fuji is located, has formally requested the Tourism Agency to ensure people take steps to climb safely and end the bullet climbing practice. And Yamanashi Prefectural Police are urging people to prepare properly for the climb and not treat it as little more than an extended walk in the park.

Mount Fuji is Japan’s most sacred mountain. June 22 marks the 10th anniversary since Mount Fuji was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list.

The official climbing season for Mount Fuji starts on July 1 and ends on September 10.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Travel NEWS

Early Rainy Season Chill Brings Heavy Rain Across Japan

After days of near-summer heat through May 20th, rain believed to mark the start of Japan's rainy season front swept across the country on May 21st, bringing sharp temperature drops, strong winds, and warnings for potentially heavy downpours.

How to Plan a Trip with a Best Friend Without Losing the Connection

More people are skipping the couple's getaway in favor of booking a flight with their closest friend. It's a shift that says something about how priorities have changed.

Cormorant Fishing Marks Arrival of Early Summer in Southern Japan

Traditional ukai cormorant fishing, a seasonal custom signaling the arrival of early summer, began on May 20th along the Chikugo River in Asakura, Fukuoka Prefecture, following the opening of ayu sweetfish fishing on the river that flows through southern Fukuoka.

Historic Walk Through Miyama’s Thatched-Roof Village

Surrounded by mountains in Kyoto Prefecture, Miyama’s Kitamura district preserves one of Japan’s most iconic rural landscapes, where rows of traditional thatched-roof houses have been maintained for generations through strong community cooperation and deeply rooted village traditions.