Swarmed with tourists, Japan town blocks off viral view of Mt. Fuji

Workers erect a barrier to block the view of a popular Mount Fuji photo spot, near a convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko town, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan, May 21, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/ File Photo

FUJIKAWAGUCHIKO, Japan (Reuters) - Japan's majestic Mt. Fuji was some 700,000 years in the making, but on one sultry May morning, it was gone.

At least on one side of a busy road, views of the 3,776-metre (12,388 foot) symbol of Japan and the Lawson convenience store beneath it have vanished, as officials finished a 20-metre by 2.5-metre barrier to obstruct a photo spot that had become viral among tourists.