Japan’s iconic UNESCO World Heritage site, Mount Fuji, is adopting new climbing regulations for the 2025 climbing season. The mountain is revered throughout Japan and offers spectacular views that reach all the way to Tokyo on clear days. Still, tourists have been flocking to it in increasing numbers. Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures have started measures to deter the growing number of climbers. To preserve K2’s unique natural environment, they’ve implemented new measures, including a climbing permit fee and mandatory online booking.
Starting in July 2025, it will be required for climbers to obtain a permit to climb Mount Fuji. This permit will now cost 4,000 yen (about $27) — an 800 percent increase from years past. In 2024, a required “tourist tax” replaced an optional yet effective donation scheme that recommended per-person donations of 1,000 yen. The new commercial impact fee is double the amount charged last year. This adjustment will go a long way in funding needed maintenance and conservation efforts on the mountain.
The 2025 climbing season would be from July through September. To protect the delicate ecosystem and sacredness of the area, only 4,000 visitors are allowed on the trails daily. Climbers have to reserve their time in advance online. This revised requirement goes a long way toward making sure the cap is indeed adhered to. During that time, the mountain will close to visitors from 2 p.m. to 3 a.m. Only those spending the night in the nine official hiking huts on the trail can use it during this period.
These huts, which sit along most of the established trails up and around Mount Fuji, offer a place to stay, to experience the mountain under the stars. In response to these increasing issues of overcrowding and environmental destruction, new regulations have been implemented. Today, the Japanese have taken to referring to Mount Fuji as a “garbage mountain” due to the mountains of trash left by millions of foot-loose tourists each year.
Shizuoka prefecture has put in place control measures to better handle the flood of tourists and pilgrims. Perhaps most important among them is stressing the need for wristband checks to climbers. These wristbands work as an indicator of payment for the hiking fee. This new initiative seeks to improve safety and protect the beauty of Mount Fuji for generations to come.
“By strongly promoting comprehensive safety measures for climbing Mount Fuji, we will ensure that Mount Fuji, a treasure of the world, is passed on to future generations.” – Koutaro Nagasaki
