At 3 a.m., park rangers at Japan's sacred Mount Fuji installed a new gate at a station located right in the middle of the 3,776-meter-high peak, a symbol of Japan and a major tourist attraction.

Climbers must pay 2,000 yen and the number of climbers will be limited to 4,000 a day, after complaints last year about litter, pollution and dangerously overcrowded trails.

This year's climbing season on Mount Fuji lasts until September 10 before the weather turns too cold and snow falls.

"I think Mount Fuji would be fun if everyone was more conscious about the environment and things like taking their trash home," said Sachiko Kan, 61, one of about 1,200 hikers who gathered on the first day of the new measures.

The yen has fallen to a 38-year low, making Japan a more attractive destination for foreign tourists. The huge influx of visitors is pumping record amounts of money into the national treasury, but is also putting a strain on transportation and hotel facilities, not to mention the impact on local residents.

Crowds of tourists have become a traffic hazard at a nearby photo spot where a view of Mount Fuji appears to hover over a convenience store, prompting officials to erect black mesh barriers to block the view.

As an active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707, Mount Fuji has been a site of Shinto and Buddhist worship for centuries.

The number of climbers recovered to pre-pandemic levels last year, with around 300,000 people a year, according to Japan's environment ministry. Climbers typically start early in the morning to reach the summit in time for sunrise.

Climbers will receive a bracelet allowing access to the trail from 3 a.m. to 4 p.m., except for those who book accommodations at mountain huts closer to the summit, authorities said.

Last month, Yamanashi Governor Kotaro Nagasaki said the new trail shoulders were needed to prevent accidents and cases of altitude sickness, especially among foreign "speed climbers" or those who want to race to the top.

Japan should focus on attracting "higher-spending tourists" based on its huge population, he told a news conference.

Geoffrey Kula, a foreign climber waiting to scale Mount Fuji on July 1, took the restrictions calmly. “This is not Disneyland. It’s good to have some sort of access control system to limit chaos,” said Kula, a visitor from Boston.

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)