Japan's Mt. Fuji's UNESCO World Heritage status is threat due to over-tourism. The iconic peak was listed as a world heritage site 2013. However, a spike the number of tourists scaling the majestic mountain is threatening that listing. Japan is experiencing a post-covid tourist boom, and many visitors are making a beeline Fuji-san's climbing trails. Mt. Fuji is so sacred Japan that many Japanese hope to climb it least once their lives. The burgeoning number climbers is causing environmental damage the slopes. Litter is strewn across the volcanic ash, and large parking lots have been constructed to accommodate tourists. These are an eyesore the mountain's once-pristine habitat.
A local official told reporters that: "Fuji faces a real crisis. Tourism has become uncontrollable, and we fear that Mt. Fuji will soon become so unattractive, nobody would want to climb it." He added: "Fuji-san is screaming pain. We can't just wait improvement; we need to tackle over-tourism now." The mountain's fifth base station has seen a 50 per cent jump visitors since 2013, with four million visitors this summer. Another headache local authorities is "bullet climbers". These are people who attempt to ascend and descend Fuji 24 hours. They risk getting altitude sickness and hypothermia. The official climbing season ended Sunday, giving Fuji a respite further damage.
