Crowd control: Climbers and visitors gathering on the first day of the climbing season at Fuji Yoshidaguchi Trail (Yoshida Route) at the fifth station on the slopes of Mount Fuji in Fujiyoshida. — Reuters
Park rangers on the country’s sacred Mount Fuji officially started this year’s climbing season about 90 minutes before sunrise yesterday, levying new trail fees and limiting hiker numbers to curb overcrowding.
At 3am, officials opened a newly installed gate at a station placed just over halfway up the 3,776m peak that is a symbol of Japan and a magnet for tourists, now swarming into the country at a record pace.
