Barrier at viral Mount Fuji photo spot to be replaced after holes found

Making this with cheap plastic mesh meant holes were inevitable.

I’m confused, so it was the tourists that were poking holes in it even though it was erected on top of the roof?

LOL

We have no idea who made the holes.

There is a game called Whac-A-Mole. Invented in Japan. You'd think authorities would get it.

AustPaulToday  06:45 am JST

I’m confused, so it was the tourists that were poking holes in it even though it was erected on top of the roof?

It’s not on the roof as it would have to be many times the size of the Lawson to hide Mt Fuji from 30m away.

It’s set up across the road next to the photo spot so 2.5x20m is enough.

Thank You JT for keeping us updated with this embarrassing story of how this town welcomes tourists.

Could it be that Black Crews are having fun with it!!?

I suggest they put up triple barriers with sensors, cameras, and motion detectors to find culprit or culprits then track them all the way to their home countries, contact the INTERPOL and have them issue an arrest warrant, then bring them back to Japan and have them fix the darn thing.

Wasn't this a story earlier in the week?

Should have gone with the ubiquitous blue vinyl guys!

Typhons will have a fit with this.

Welcome to Japan!

The land where taking photos of iconic landscapes is NOT ALLOWED!

Cause a problem where there is none, create a situation that not need be, cause more problems and make more rules in the name of structured sightseeing for visitors?

Put up smart cameras, warn with threat of non-issue of future travel visas if caught, and if caught, 100 public lashings at Asakusa's Kaminarimon, Shinjuku's ALTA-mae, or Shibuya's Hachiko Square. And just to show our soft side, the guilty can decide the venue.

How about drawing a huge picture of Mt Fuji on the screen?

We can see that this situation was handled really well. The material didn't have "holes." It is a rough weave, and some people were separating the strands to fit their camera lenses through.

How about creating a observation space so the visitors, who spend tons of money in the community, can get their look? Nah, too much trouble.

Drill, baby, drill! I mean Build The Wall!

Electrify it. That will shock the tourists.

How about drawing a huge picture of the Lawson on the screen?

Get me Edward De Bono NOW!!!

then build up your mountain with skyscrapers and shopping centers if you cannot create conditions for tourists. Better yet, cover all of Japan with banners

It seems people have forgotten why the tourists want this particular shot. Someone took a shot and put it on Tik Tok or somewhere. People decided that they had to have the same shot. There was a bandwagon that they all jumped on. You know how these things go. Now, the place where the original shot was taken became a must-go-to place. Now, it's not set up for large groups of people. There is a dentist's office on that street and these people were making it difficult for patients to get in. They were leaving trash everywhere at a spot not set up for this kind of thing. The mentality of the people wanting this particular show was that they were entitled to go there and make a big crowd. The Lawson's had to be part of the shot. If they didn't behave like hypnotized robots, there would be no problem.

Japan welcomes tourists but a lot of tourists (like these people) don't appreciate the problems they cause. This isn't a problem with Japan. It's a problem of those silly people wanting a shot of something stupid in an area not even meant for them.

People who say this isn't a problem should know about the imprint of a rat on a sidewalk in, I think, Chicago. Nothing but problems for the people who lived on that street.

Their approach has been unhelpful. Has it even worked? Are people jaywalking and illegally parking less?

They should have focused on the real problems of illegal jaywalking and parking.

Authorities in other tourist destinations, such as New Zealand, would likely address these specific issues. Instead of trying to control people's behavior or interests, why not focus on law enforcement? If people are breaking the law, that should be the priority.

Perhaps the Japanese approach is to prevent crimes by steering people away from committing them, rather than holding them accountable after the fact.

MeiyouwentiToday  07:33 am JST

(How about drawing a huge picture of Mt Fuji on the screen?) that's good idea to make it the screen that block the view looks neat clean and presentable tourist might get the idea of Mt Fuji picture versus real Mt Fuji view.

Just find a similar spot that is in need of tourists and have a better parking and traffic situation. Pay Youtubers/Instagramers/TikTokers to go there and post about it, In a week everyone will be there instead.

Just put a booth there with security guard and charge people. It's better to profit of problems then spend money on problems. Charge foreign visitors a thousand yen and charge Japanese citizens and residence 500 yen. That's all the bicycle parking problems are eliminated in Japan.

Cashing in from the tourists for taking photographs would have been much more rational than producing exploding costs for the tax payers for always renewing and fortifying those view barriers.

Someone dressed as a cop and a sign saying instant fines of 20,000 yen for lingering at the dentists, 30,000 yen for littering, and 50,000 yen for jaywalking would probably have solved most of the problem here. Most of the people are wealthy Asians, and they will have been to or know about Singapore. Singapore has huge fines for chewing gum and littering. Nobody cares whether this is unfair or will put tourists off. Singapore doesn't want litter or chewing gum and makes sure it doesn't get them. Japan is too soft.

Kyoto and Tokyo too should consider steep instant fines for littering in crowded areas.

More microplastic pollution in the environment and funny that now it’s summer Fuji-san is draped in cloud for 3 months anyway

kohakuebisu,

how do you make them pay the fines if they live in another country, lol

That's why they are called instant fines. If people won't pay, throw them in the meat wagon for some encouragement. Send some cops to Singapore for lessons if necessary.

People litter because there is no deterrent. As ever in Japan, the nail is not "hammered down".

Doubling down on a bad idea. More unexpected consequences await.

If you are really interested in this story:

https://youtu.be/FEVdN0e10Qw

A report done by a TV channel before the screen is finished.

https://soranews24.com/2024/05/29/has-the-mt-fuji-lawson-blackout-screen-really-stopped-tourists-from-taking-photos/

A report done by a news outlet after the screen is finished.

The new screen will be made of stronger material and possibly changed to blue or green, as black "has a negative image," Mayor Hideyuki Watanabe of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, said at a press conference.

Mayor Watanabe and the barrier and this whole kerfuffle are a stark symbol of the perpetual motion machine of waste generation that is Japanese bureaucracy.

From the hysteric overreactions to the foreign tourists which a tiny minority of property owners are benefiting from to the plastic waste and make work for the construction workers in their uniforms.

It is of zero benefit to the public but keeps the machine of LDP/crony capitalist company in motion with furious inaction.

I think they are discovering how people from non-high-conformity nations act with more independence and freedom, for better or worse.

Somebody should start instagram influencer photo trends at like 6 other spots around that town and just let the masses show up.

It’s not on the roof as it would have to be many times the size of the Lawson to hide Mt Fuji from 30m away.

It’s set up across the road next to the photo spot so 2.5x20m is enough.

I believe the tourist can still take the picture. They just need to place their phones really close to the screen on the other side and use the front camera of their phones to get a accurate shot.

Waste of tax payers money. I hope they are not reinbursed by national funds. And idiotic not providing photo holes as the issue was the crossing. So basically it wasn’t the crossing but just don’t want tourists there clearly. Blame tourist? Prove it.

Won't be long till the replacements are similarly damaged.

They were leaving trash everywhere at a spot not set up for this kind of thing.

It's Japanese youth that leave trash on the street. There are trash containers at the Lawson, which tourists know how to use.

"It is disappointing to see a lack of morals" among those making the holes, Watanabe said.

Japanese men have very high morals

Especially towards foreigners and women and children

Make Lawson great again

possibly changed to blue or green, as black "has a negative image,"

Worried about negative image ? ??

Then take the silly barrier down !

Just get rid of Lawson and make a view point Cafe with an observation deck

How about drawing a huge picture of Mt Fuji on the screen?

Just make sure it’s not Hokusai quality; or they’ll be lining up in their thousands. In the next stage of this long running farce, we’re likely to see other Fuji adjacent municipalities eyeing this as an opportunity to expand their tourism footprint.

Japan welcomes tourists but a lot of tourists (like these people) don't appreciate the problems they cause. This isn't a problem with Japan. It's a problem of those silly people wanting a shot of something stupid in an area not even meant for them.

I see this differently, why no one in government has worked out how to actually make this work for Japan is lame.

The whole thing is ultimately harmless. People went a photo with two cultural icons in one frame. Tourists bring money to Japan and Abenonics made Japanese a service economy yet the government doesn’t want this now ? So what do they want ?

why doing some light construction work and installing some extra bins was difficult, I don’t know. Maybe just charge a local tax or fee ?

Installing an ugly polluting barrier is just a crap outcome for everyone.

japan is the the only country in the word where I frequently am turned away from spending money, it’s a stange phenomenon.

Kohakuebisu: Pretty sure impersonating a police officer, demanding money with menaces and kidnapping are all serious crimes in their own right, even in Singapore.

Indeed. Tourists lack of morals.

Come to Shibuya. See what I meant.

Have we tried just leveling the mountain?

With 3,000,000 visitors per month enterin Japan and a percentage of that going to Kawaguchi lake, the authorities need to spend a bit more to block the view with some rigid stuff and implement a permanent solution.

What a waste of money! The holes were most likely made by crows who also feel that the net is an eyesore!

Neurotic.

Kyoto and Tokyo too should consider steep instant fines for littering in crowded areas.

Or how about providing bins for the high number of people instead of wasting it on Kyoto city office revamps?

Just get rid of Lawson

Who gets rid of Lawson? The owners who are making money from being in that location?

and make a view point Cafe with an observation deck

You still don't get it, do you?

Is it verified with evidence that the holes were made by tourist ?

Assuming ?

As always in Japan, instead of figuring out the root cause, they just patch the problem with those silly screens from the tax player's money.

Any other country in the world would have been capitalize this by now, mankind it instead of a problem, a solution to gain extra revenue.

But as long as you have those incompetent LDP dinosaurs in the leading positions, no outside of box thinking will ever happen.

I think the visitors want a photo/video of themselves, Lawson, and Fujii (which isn't always visible).

Is it verified with evidence that the holes were made by tourist ?

Yes, there is evidence it was tourists who made the hole on that tarp.

https://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2024/05/24149126865989-800x534.jpg

When life gives you lemon, make lemonade:

Move the dental clinic that's across the road (see Google Street View), and open up a cafe. There's ample room to make a nice balcony with a great view of the Lawson's and Fuji. And there's plenty of space downstairs to sell tourist trinkets.

The locals are making money, the tourists have their stupid photos, and Japan doesn't look petty and stupid. Problem solved.

The new screen will be made of stronger material and possibly changed to blue or green, as black "has a negative image," Mayor Hideyuki Watanabe of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, said at a press conference.

Suddenly they realized black has a negative image? All this thing is just Childish and petty.

Move the dental clinic that's across the road (see Google Street View), and open up a cafe.

What if the dental clinic doesn't want to move? What about the overhead wires? What about the picture not being the picture that they want?

Alan BogglesworthToday  11:19 am JST

Japan welcomes tourists but a lot of tourists (like these people) don't appreciate the problems they cause. This isn't a problem with Japan. It's a problem of those silly people wanting a shot of something stupid in an area not even meant for them.

I see this differently, why no one in government has worked out how to actually make this work for Japan is lame.

The whole thing is ultimately harmless. People went a photo with two cultural icons in one frame. Tourists bring money to Japan and Abenonics made Japanese a service economy yet the government doesn’t want this now ? So what do they want ?

why doing some light construction work and installing some extra bins was difficult, I don’t know. Maybe just charge a local tax or fee ?

Installing an ugly polluting barrier is just a crap outcome for everyone.

japan is the the only country in the word where I frequently am turned away from spending money, it’s a stange phenomenon.

Indeed, instead of trying to stop people from coming, why not adjust to the changes by building a crosswalk to prevent jaywalking and adding more parking and public bins and a closed-off area for people to safely take photos?

The more this makes the news, the longer this saga will continue. This is being reported worldwide and I can't help but feel it is drawing more interest than if they had just left this alone.

Someone dressed as a cop and a sign saying instant fines of 20,000 yen for lingering at the dentists, 30,000 yen for littering, and 50,000 yen for jaywalking would probably have solved most of the problem here. Most of the people are wealthy Asians, and they will have been to or know about Singapore. Singapore has huge fines for chewing gum and littering. Nobody cares whether this is unfair or will put tourists off. Singapore doesn't want litter or chewing gum and makes sure it doesn't get them. Japan is too soft.

Kyoto and Tokyo too should consider steep instant fines for littering in crowded areas.

This person stated that a fine system should be introduced. I agree with this comment. Not many foreign tourists have an impact on the region, but some do, as this article shows. Therefore, a fair fine system should be introduced. However, more often than not, just putting up signs is not enough to get through to foreign tourists. So they should be given proper guidance. But how do we get them to receive proper guidance? When foreign tourists come to Japan, they always board an airplane. I think guidance should be given there. There are monitors on airplanes, so we should alert them there. Or, it would be better to advise them through in-flight announcements. If we do this, the impact of foreign tourists on local communities will decrease and Japan will become a better tourist destination.

Mount the barrier on the roof of the shop!

The more articles are issued about it, the merrier.

It's nice this story continue to entertain us!

Now seriously - Blue or even better Green screen is a great idea!

Now picture takers can superimpose themselves jumping or whatever in front of any background they wish!

I agree that the tourists were disorderly and causing a general nuisance, noise, obstructing traffic,....... I don't think this needs to be discussed at length.

However, this statement only points to the consequence and not to the cause.

"It is disappointing to see a lack of morals" among those making the holes, Watanabe said.

Either it implies that they assumed the situation would improve, or that tourists would suddenly behave in an exemplary manner, or they did not anticipate that holes would occur.

It also indicates that the so-called "solution" was not even slightly thought out and the cost was totally exorbitant - "1.3 million yen ($12,434) to install the 2.5-meter-high black mesh net that stretches 20 meters".

Let them fix it, but as a taxpayer I would be quite interested to know why the current solution cost such an astronomical amount, whether the money was invested efficiently, how much it will cost to fix and how much it will cost to continue to operate. And it is also not entirely clear to me, if the barrier is 20 metres long, what prevented you from going even one step too far. It looks to me more like an attempt to get "some work done", e.g. before an election. To make it look like something is being done and that someone cares.

WeiWeiToday 06:56 am JST

It’s not on the roof as it would have to be many times the size of the Lawson to hide Mt Fuji from 30m away. It’s set up across the road next to the photo spot so 2.5x20m is enough.

Well, considering japanese building companies cover entire high rise construction sites in privacy/safety screens - i imagine they could easy put ton on top of lawson...

It seems people have forgotten why the tourists want this particular shot. Someone took a shot and put it on Tik Tok or somewhere. People decided that they had to have the same shot. There was a bandwagon that they all jumped on. You know how these things go. Now, the place where the original shot was taken became a must-go-to place. Now, it's not set up for large groups of people. There is a dentist's office on that street and these people were making it difficult for patients to get in. They were leaving trash everywhere at a spot not set up for this kind of thing. The mentality of the people wanting this particular show was that they were entitled to go there and make a big crowd. The Lawson's had to be part of the shot. If they didn't behave like hypnotized robots, there would be no problem.

Japan welcomes tourists but a lot of tourists (like these people) don't appreciate the problems they cause. This isn't a problem with Japan. It's a problem of those silly people wanting a shot of something stupid in an area not even meant for them.

People who say this isn't a problem should know about the imprint of a rat on a sidewalk in, I think, Chicago. Nothing but problems for the people who lived on that street.

I agree with you, I think it is very difficult to reduce the visibility of a place once it has become famous and stop people from coming, now that the development of social networking services has made it easy to transmit information to the world. This is inevitable. Also, the use of materials that can make holes in the ground is one of the reasons why tourists still come to see the view of Mt. Fuji above the convenience store. I can say that there are very few tourists from other countries who follow the moral code, and not many Japanese who come to visit are also able to follow the moral code. Therefore, I think that the new screen should be made of a sturdy material that can never be punctured. For example, walls.

I agree that the tourists were disorderly and causing a general nuisance, noise, obstructing traffic,....... I don't think this needs to be discussed at length.

I frequent this place several times a week. It's honestly not that bad. The situation was largely resolved when they built a waist high steel fence just prior to fitting the screen. Yeah, a few tourists don't use the two pedestrian crossings, but it's generally quite a good vibe there. As far as I know there haven't been any injuries at this location.

Speaking of pedestrian crossings, it would be nice if the drivers here actually stopped at them. I've seen drivers block them off in traffic, or one car stops and the opposite car just piles through.

Weirdly, the mayor doesn't seem to think they 'lack morals'.

Well, considering japanese building companies cover entire high rise construction sites in privacy/safety screens - i imagine they could easy put ton on top of lawson...

An even worse idea than making Lawson / the dentists move location. It would tear the roof off.

It seems people have forgotten why the tourists want this particular shot. Someone took a shot and put it on Tik Tok or somewhere. People decided that they had to have the same shot. There was a bandwagon that they all jumped on. You know how these things go. Now, the place where the original shot was taken became a must-go-to place. Now, it's not set up for large groups of people. There is a dentist's office on that street and these people were making it difficult for patients to get in. They were leaving trash everywhere at a spot not set up for this kind of thing. The mentality of the people wanting this particular show was that they were entitled to go there and make a big crowd. The Lawson's had to be part of the shot. If they didn't behave like hypnotized robots, there would be no problem.

Japan welcomes tourists but a lot of tourists (like these people) don't appreciate the problems they cause. This isn't a problem with Japan. It's a problem of those silly people wanting a shot of something stupid in an area not even meant for them.

People who say this isn't a problem should know about the imprint of a rat on a sidewalk in, I think, Chicago. Nothing but problems for the people who lived on that street.

Gene Hennigh said that this problem occurred if someone took a shot and put it on social media such as TIK TOK and other people started to imitate it, the place became a tourist spot. There are also too many people, making it difficult for others to use and littering also becomes a problem. Japan is welcoming a lot of such tourists, but the government should think seriously about this. Also, this is not a problem for Japan.

I totally agree with this opinion because I think it's wrong that Japan's requtation is being lowered because of such unmannerly people. The number of tourists coming to Japan has been increasing, which is a good thing for Japan's economy. However, these people are causing a lot of problems for example, noise and littering, as well as traffic congestion. And these can affect a lot to the atmoshpere.

I also think these are not because of Japan being a tourist attraction, but we need regulation like those reported in the news to maintain public order in Japan.

They know that the screen itself will become an attraction don't they? People love irony

People litter because there are no trash bins! So far, this situation has been handled by pinheads in the town hall.

"On Tuesday, the town put up a sign in English requesting that visitors not touch the screen and mentions that it will be repaired as necessary." Only in English. Apparently no curious Japanese ??? This is not simply sign for veiling Fuji. It is ipso facto blaming gaijin for this problem.

>

This stupid news is all over the world and sadly, by the look of the comments on those particular sites, makes Japan look very petty and bad, very imature.

Basically a cry baby that only knows the most pathetic way in dealing with "problems" such as this.

Don't cry for me, Fujikawaguchiko,

Your name was such a mouthful...

Although I swallowed, on your insistence,

I took my photos through your naïve fence...

Yes, there is evidence it was tourists who made the hole on that tarp.

https://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2024/05/24149126865989-800x534.jpg

wow, that's a really efficiently shaped hole.

It caught all the proper curves, and was tall enough to get the foot of lawsons and the tip of fuji.

Bravo to the crow that did that.

now, back to the glory holes.....

The area has become a popular photo spot for foreign tourists after the sight of Japan's highest mountain towering over the convenience store went viral online.

it's also a popular spot for the people, (that want to tell people to not take pictures there) to take pictures of others "breaking the rules."

Seems a little hypocritical there.

Why not have a screen with camera holes then everyone is happy.

The new screen will be made of stronger material and possibly changed to blue or green, as black "has a negative image," Mayor Hideyuki Watanabe of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, said at a press conference.

LOL, what? In what universe will "stronger material" and a different color stop some tourists from poking holes in it?

LOL, what? In what universe will "stronger material" and a different color stop some tourists from poking holes in it?

In this universe. Maybe it will be made from kevlar, or steel.

Can't wait to visit there.

"We even put the signs in English!"

Because not Japanese = English