Japan’s cherry blossom season has brought a flood of visitors to a quiet neighborhood at the foot of Mount Fuji, and local officials say the surge has spilled into day-to-day life for residents. In Fujiyoshida, officials announced in February that they would cancel this year’s annual cherry blossom festival, after complaints that the crowds have contributed to traffic problems, litter and other disruptions during visits to popular viewpoints.
Masatoshi Hada, the manager of the Fujiyoshida Economics and Environment Department, said the area is primarily an ordinary residential neighborhood where balancing tourism with safety has become difficult. “We decided not to promote a festival that would invite more visitors,” he told The Associated Press.
The complaints follow a trend that locals describe as beginning with a viral photo: social media users circulated images of Mount Fuji rising above a pagoda with cherry blossoms in the foreground. The attention helped drive more tourists to look for similar shots, filling narrow streets on sunny days as visitors lined up to reach Arakurayama Sengen Park, where the panoramic view is a key attraction.
In February, Fujiyoshida said foreign tourists had exceeded 10,000 per day in the area in recent years and that the volume had “threatened residents’ daily lives,” according to a city statement. Locals have pointed to chronic traffic jams, piles of litter and conduct that they say intrudes on private property, including tourists allegedly knocking on doors to borrow toilets and relieving themselves in front yards.
Officials have taken steps to limit how visitors move through the neighborhood. Beginning April 1, when the cherry blossom season started in the region, Fujiyoshida increased security guards and restricted entry of tour buses and vehicles into the scenic area, requiring visitors to reach the park on foot.
On a day when the blossoms were at their prime, security guard Hiroaki Nagayama gestured to passersby to keep them out of busy areas. He asked tourists to throw cigarette butts in designated places and said he sometimes tried to help people who were lost, adding, “I’m struggling. I cannot communicate with them in Japanese. Some people buy food at stalls and leave litter behind,” and describing the situation as “a typical example of overtourism.”
Other residents said the influx brings both irritation and some economic upside. Hitoshi Mori, 93, said having many visitors is “good but annoying,” describing how crowding outside his home has made it harder for him to shop for groceries. The town’s overtourism has also divided residents who want the neighborhood to stay quiet from those who have started businesses using their yards for parking or to run shops and food stalls.
Tourism officials and residents also linked the Fujiyoshida experience to broader challenges across Japan. The Associated Press reported that overtourism has also been seen in other destinations such as Kyoto and Kamakura, where locals have complained about tour traffic and crowds. The issue has emerged as Japan’s foreign-worker population has grown and the country has confronted rising xenophobia, while Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s nationalistic government has proposed tougher rules for foreigners.
While some residents complained about disruptions, some tourists said they were still enjoying the experience despite the crowds and posted instructions. Lisa Goerdert, who came from Paris, said the area felt “pretty (well) organized,” describing time limits for entering and taking photos. Vicky Tran, visiting from Melbourne, Australia, said her group could not go all the way up to see the pagoda with Mount Fuji because it was too crowded, but she said she still enjoyed the view and the neighborhood.
Even people running businesses said the crowding has created new risks. Kyoko Funakubo, a 60-year-old hotel employee and part-time vendor selling Fuji-themed souvenirs, said she once “almost hit a tourist who jumped into the street without looking.” Funakubo also said that while it is a big change, the increased visitor flow has helped bring shops back to life in an area that she described as having been nearly abandoned at times, with many shuttered storefronts now reopened or replaced by new businesses.