During 2013, the traffic jam of hikers at Mount Fuji is expected to get worse. This prediction will most likely come true due to the expected addition of Mount Fuji to the World Heritage List. Mount Fuji is considered to be the symbol of Japan and its 3,776 meter peak is widely expected to be approved for the list at the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee which started on Sunday, June 16, 2013 in Cambodia.
Shomei Yokouchi, Yamanashi Governor said, “Any serious accidents would undermine the mood of celebration”. Around two-thirds of the people who walk towards the summit begin their walk from the Yamanashi side of the mountain. The climbing season will begin on July 1, 2013.
The Environmental Ministry says that around 300,000 people hike to the top of the mountain between July and August every year. Mount Fuji has been recommended for the International Council on Monuments and Sites as a World Heritage site. However, the council has also warned that the increasing number of hikers is having a detrimental impact on its trails.
The Mayor of Fujiyoshida Shigeru Horiuchi, at the foot of the mountain on the Yamanashi side, said that it is possible to predict the number of climbers this year, but it is expected to be enormous.
