A tall metal fence will be built to control unruly tourists who have annoyed locals at a popular Mount Fuji photo spot, a Japanese official said Thursday. It follows the construction last month of a black screen in another nearby town to block an Instagram-famous view of the snow-capped volcano rising from behind a convenience store. Now residents have complained about mostly foreign visitors venturing into the road on the Mount Fuji Dream Bridge in search of the perfect shot of Japan’s highest peak.
Despite its flashy name, the bridge is an ordinary overpass that runs above a river, with a narrow pavement separated from the road by a waist-high concrete wall. But people have been jaywalking across the road to reach a vacant area between the two lanes of traffic, said Haruhito Yoshizaki, a tourism official at Fuji City. There, they pose for photos, twirl for videos or just chill out -- some even bringing their suitcases.
To deter this risky behavior, authorities have already put up low metal scaffolding and signs telling people to keep away from the stretch of tarmac. Next, authorities say they plan to erect a 1.8 meter (5.
9 feet) high metal mesh fence around the area by the end of June. Locals “welcome visitors as long as basic rules are observed”, Yoshizaki said, saying the move is meant to ease the “frustration of local residents”. “Maybe we can build a sightseeing course” instead to encourage more considerate exploration, he added.
A pedestrian staircase to .