Mt. Fuji Reopens To Trekkers
Mount Fuji, Japan's highest mountain, has opened to trekkers for the first time in two years.
A trail that starts in Yamanashi Prefecture and part of one that starts in Shizuoka Prefecture opened on Thursday.
Trails were closed during last summer's climbing season due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was the first time since 1988, when records remain, for the trails to be closed for the entire climbing season.
Yamanashi's relevant organizations including prefectural authorities and cabin operators will work together to welcome climbers through September 10 while enforcing strict anti-infection measures.
Trekkers will be required to stop by the parking lot at the start of the Fuji-Subaru Line toll road to submit checklists on their conditions or have their temperatures taken on the spot. The toll road leads to the mountain's fifth station, where the trail starts.
Health checks will also be done at the fifth and sixth stations.
Trekkers will, in principle, be required to have reservations to stay at cabins on the climbing trails. The cabins will operate at about 50 percent of capacity to maintain social distancing. Anti-virus measures, such as partitions and ventilation, will also be taken.
Even after Mt. Fuji was registered as a World Heritage site, an advisory body to UNESCO has pointed out the need to manage overcrowding.
Authorities now face a more difficult challenge of managing trekkers and containing infections amid the pandemic.