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Japanese town blocks view of Mt. Fuji

by VOA News

   Authorities in a small Japanese town blocked the view of Mt. Fuji
   Tuesday by installing a screen at an observation point used by tourists
   to view the iconic mountain.

   The town has been deluged with tourists since Japan reopened its
   borders to tourists after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The
   country welcomed a record three million people in March and April with
   the Japanese currency, the yen, dropping to record-low levels, which
   reduced the cost of travel.

   Residents of the town of Fujikawaguchiko complained that the
   ever-increasing number of tourists near a convenience store was
   becoming a nuisance, because they refused to carry away their trash and
   obey traffic rules, often walking in front of traffic to pose for
   pictures.

   The town council voted last month to erect the barrier, a decision a
   local official described as "regrettable."

   Some information for this report came from Reuters.

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