Mt Fuji Train Plan Could Take Japan's Iconic Mountain Upmarket
The light rail project could cut tourist traffic and give the local economy a boost
Mount Fuji on September 10.
Photographer: Toru Hanai/BloombergJapan may build a train nearly two-thirds of the way up Mount Fuji to limit vehicle traffic and prevent overcrowding in a bid to preserve one of its top sightseeing and climbing destinations.
At 2,300 meters (7,540 feet) above sea level the Fuji Subaru 5th Station is the main hub for tourists visiting the iconic mountain and five million guests passed through the site in 2019. Visitors dwindled after Japan limited inbound travelers due to Covid-19, but have since returned. A constant flow of large buses carrying visitors was visible earlier this month on the last day of official climbing season, despite a thick layer of fog hiding the iconic mountain.