Japan’s Shizuoka Govt Sees Positive Results from Mt. Fuji Restriction Measures; Aims to Continue to Refine Measures

By Yuichi Otsubo / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

14:35 JST, April 10, 2026

SHIZUOKA — Shizuoka Prefecture made entrance fees mandatory and imposed nighttime climbing restrictions on three of Mt. Fuji’s trails — Fujinomiya, Subashiri and Gotemba — for the first time last climbing season, aligning with the measures introduced by Yamanashi Prefecture for the Yoshida trail the year before.

While so-called “bullet climbing,” or climbing through the night, has plummeted, there has been a decline in climbers on some trails and cases of careless behavior, such as climbing in inadequate gear, still persist. Efforts to refine the system continue ahead of the mountain’s reopening in July.

Zero deaths or missing persons

“By coordinating with Yamanashi Prefecture, we were able to implement unified entrance fees and restricted hours. Accidents and other incidents have decreased thanks to measures such as pre-climb education on rules and etiquette,” said Shizuoka Gov. Yasutomo Suzuki, about the full-scale mountain access restrictions introduced last year.

Visitors must preregister via the prefecture’s official app, “Shizuoka Prefecture FUJI NAVI,” pay a ¥4,000 entrance fee, study the climbing rules in advance and make a mountain hut reservation if starting the climb between 2 p.m. and 3 a.m.

According to a report by the Shizuoka Prefectural Police, the number of hikers involved in accidents on the Shizuoka Prefecture side of Mt. Fuji during the climbing season (July 10 to Sept. 10) was 36, a decrease of 28 from the previous year, while the number of fatalities and missing persons was 0, compared to 6 during the last season. The police thinks the awareness of climbing safety may have increased due to the restrictions and the requirement to study the rules in advance.

Additionally, according to the Environment Ministry, the total number of climbers in Shizuoka Prefecture last year was 84,032, representing approximately 94% of the previous year’s figure. While a decline in climbers had been anticipated due to factors such as the introduction of an entrance fee, an official of the prefecture’s Mt. Fuji World Heritage Division stated, “The decrease in climbers was much smaller than expected.”

Preserving a World Heritage site

The prefecture’s climbing regulations are based on the Prefectural Mt. Fuji Climbing Ordinance, which prioritizes the preservation of Mt. Fuji’s value as a World Heritage site. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee requested the effective regulation of overtourism on Mt. Fuji when it was registered as a World Heritage site in 2013.

While such measures had previously been postponed from the perspective of promoting tourism, the prefecture decided to strengthen regulations from a safety standpoint in response to the increase in inbound tourism and bullet climbing. Collecting the Mt. Fuji Conservation Cooperation Fee (¥1,000 per person) on a voluntary basis, which began in 2013 with the aim of preserving Mt. Fuji’s value, was discontinued with the introduction of full-scale access restrictions.

Gotemba Trail traffic drops

Looking at the number of climbers by trail, the Gotemba Trail saw 7,119 climbers, a year-on-year decrease of approximately 53.1%, nearly halving the previous figure.

One factor cited for the drop is the decline in trail runners. The Gotemba Trail is considered the most rugged, so it attracted trail runners who had previously climbed the mountain multiple times. However, it has been suggested that they may have been deterred by the ¥4,000 entry fee per climb and some climbers have expressed a desire for a season pass.

On the Subashiri Trail, mountain hut staff reported that “the number of families with children has decreased.” Since the entrance fee must be paid per person regardless of their age, the financial burden could increase. The city government plans to count the number of child visitors this summer.

2 different systems

As a measure against inadequately equipped hikers, Yamanashi Prefecture amended its ordinance last year to allow officials to refuse entry to such hikers, whereas Shizuoka Prefecture currently cannot refuse entry even to inadequately equipped hikers.

Previously, the opening date was July 10 on the Shizuoka side and July 1 on the Yamanashi side, but this year, Shizuoka Prefecture is currently working to change the opening date for the Subashiri Trail to July 1. Efforts are underway between the two prefectures to coordinate their approaches and resolve the “one mountain, two systems” situation.