A proposal by Yamanashi Prefecture to build a light rail connection to the fifth station on Mt. Fuji has been given up amid public concerns over its environmental impact, sources close to the matter said Monday.
The central Japan prefecture had explored the possibility of connecting the foot of the country’s tallest peak to the intermediate station in an attempt to deal with the large influx of summer tourists and reduce vehicle emissions.
Visitors can currently drive to the 5th station, the starting point of a popular climbing trail that begins at an altitude of about 2,300 meters, using the Fuji Subaru Line road. The proposal had involved building a double-track line along the toll road and operating two-car trains.The prefectural government is expected to announce later in the day a new idea for alternative transportation, the sources said.
The light rail concept was promised by Yamanashi Gov. Kotaro Nagasaki in the 2019 gubernatorial election, in which he was elected for the first time.
A citizens’ group opposing the idea submitted about 70,000 signatures to the governor this month demanding that he withdraw it. They expressed concerns about potential environmental destruction and avalanche damage caused by the development.
Mt. Fuji, Japan’s iconic 3,776-meter mountain peak and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, attracts many climbers and tourists from home and abroad. But the rising popularity of the mountain, which straddles Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, has led to challenges including “overtourism” and “bullet climbing,” or the attempt to reach the summit for sunrise and return without sleeping mid-climb.
This summer, those climbing the mountain from the Yamanashi side were charged an entrance fee for the first time, with a gate located at the 5th station collecting 2,000 yen ($13) per person. Such fees were not collected on the Shizuoka side during the climbing season.
