Mt. Fuji Tram Idea Withdrawn

(Yesterday’s view of Mt. Fuji from my apartment.)

The prefectural government of Yamanashi has been studying the idea of building a tram to carry people from the bottom to the midway point of Mt. Fuji. It has now announced that it has given up on that idea due to public concerns over environmental concerns. A citizens’ group opposing the idea submitted about 70,000 signatures to the governor, demanding he withdraw it. They expressed concerns about potential environmental destruction and avalanche damage.

Yamanashi Governor Kotaro Nagasaki now wants to look into rubber-tired trams with sensors to enable them to follow white lines or magnetic markers, eliminating the need to build a rail line. The Yamanashi Governor promised the light rail in the 2019 gubernatorial election, when he was elected for the first time. 

Mt. Fuji, the 3,776 meter peak and UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, straddles Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures and attracts climbers and tourists from all over the world. The rising popularity of the mountain had led to overtourism challenges.

What do you think of either the rail line or the rubber-tired tram? I don’t know everything about it, but I think I’m against it.  Why bring more people, when there is already overtourism?

I’m extremely happy I was able to climb Mt. Fuji in 2019 (I posted about it here), but once was enough. Really.