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What do you think about the proposed plan to charge Mount Fuji climbers a fee to help pay for the costs of cleaning up garbage left on the mountain?

19 Comments

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19 Comments
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How frustrating, that the only way around this is not to tell and teach and repeat that leaving garbage is bad; but to allow people to do it (basically) as long as they pay... For surely, in no way does this teach people not to litter?

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Make people pay Y1000 for every PET bottle they take up the mountain. The money could be refunded if they bring the bottle back down again. Also, Y100000 fines for those caught littering.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

About time already!

User fees are NOT just about gomi, they should cover park staff, trail maintenance & conservation, etc, it should not be just about the gomi.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Sad to charge user fees for what is supposed to be a national treasure. Taxes are high enough for government to allocate some money for clean up. also to pay for wardens/rangers and give them powers to fine people large sums for littering.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

I think it is a nice idea if they use the money to make an elevator or escalator to the top of Fuji chan. Climbing it must be a pain.

-7 ( +1 / -8 )

A fee sounds sensible, most national parks around the world charge admission, a mountain with real risks and relatively high maintenance costs should cost.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

While it is sensible to charge an entrance fee for access to a heritage site - the fact that people's litter on the mountain slopes reflects very poorly on the climbers' manners. For most hikers and climbers around the world, taking Your litter back home comes natural.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Good idea in my opinion. I look at it as an investment in its future, but make sure that kids don't have to pay anything.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I'm surprised they haven't been doing this already. Just because it's a "national treasure" doesn't mean it cleans itself up without help.

@Scrote, I haven't been there but I suspect the problem is not just PET bottles. I'm sure food wrappers are also part of the problem.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

No, the municipal authorities should pay for it themselves. Why don't they install litter bins every kilo or so, so that climbers have somewhere to put their garbage?

The local authorities are happy to have hundreds of thousands of climbers come and spend their money there, boosting the local economy, but then they're too lazy or stingy to provide the proper infrastructure. A typical hillbilly attitude.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Why don't they install litter bins every kilo or so, so that climbers have somewhere to put their garbage?

And who would be climbing Mount Fuji everyday to empty the trash cans placed every kilo or so?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

And who would be climbing Mount Fuji everyday to empty the trash cans placed every kilo or so?

This ain't no barren landscape, Fuji's slopes are manned by rangers, and there's a collection of businesses and structures there as well, including the shops and vending machines that sell the soon-to-be garbage. If they can implement that, they can install and maintain litter bins as well. It's all part of Fuji's tourism infrastructure that serves the thousands of visitors.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

well once she blows it'l all got cleaned up anyway.....what's the point??

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"I think it is a nice idea if they use the money to make an elevator or escalator to the top of Fuji chan"

Hee hee! Elevator? I guess impossible, since elevators go only straight up and down! Now, an escalator would be interesting - you'd have to have stops at the huts along the way, and I wonder how many people would walk up the right side, passing me as I stand on... wait a minute! I don't want to stand, how about a ropeway! Then I could sit!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Instead make new jobs. Mt. Fuji patrol people that look for people littering and collect hefty fines.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This is a good opportunity to create lot of "mountain maintence" jobs for Japan's unemployed...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I used to be a guide, and have climbed Fuji-san many times long ago, mostly leading groups of 40 or so, but a couple of times by myself or with a couple of friends. The infrastructure was somewhat lacking then, and I hear it's better now, but it's impractical to rely on trash bins. The sheer number of people and the logistics--even though the climbing season is very short--just don't make it feasible to expect trash bins to suffice or to be emptied frequently/completely. It's a big, high mountain, and the roads stop (except for a switchback bulldozer track partway beyond) where most people start to climb. The folks that run the huts do a pretty good job of gathering and bagging trash around their immediate area, but there are limits to what they can do, or what other volunteers or even paid "wardens" can do.

Ideally, climbers should have the good manners to take their bottles, cans, wrappers, lemon husks, bento boxes, oxygen bottles, etc., with them when they leave. It's not an ideal world, though, and Fuji-san isn't the only area where people are extremely sloppy and inconsiderate with their trash...it is, though, probably the biggest scale nightmare for trash collection/disposal, albeit for just a couple of months out of the year.

It's arguable that trash bins, even if they're overflowing, encourage people not to carry their own trash away and off the mountain.

It's sad, but a usage fee is probably necessary. That won't solve the problem, either, I suspect, nor would fines (realistically, they'd be hard to enforce 24 hours a day with that many climbers). At best, one could hope that pointing out the problem, with the fee and if possible with spot fines well publicized, would help to adjust people's attitudes, but I'm not very sanguine, unfortunately.

I have heard that usage fees have had some limited success reducing trash on beaches and riversides. The operatie word, sadly, is limited.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Great idea

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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