Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest peak, opened to climbers on the Shizuoka Prefecture side on Thursday.

Starting this season, new rules to prevent congestion on mountain trails, including a 4,000-yen entry fee per person and traffic restriction from 2 p.m. to 3 a.m. the next day, were introduced, as in Yamanashi Prefecture, the other central Japan prefecture home to the mountain.

The Yoshida trail on the Yamanashi side opened on July 1. The mountain will be open for climbing until Sept. 10 on both sides.

Many mountaineers went to the reception at the fifth station on each trail early in the morning to complete procedures and then headed to the summit.

At the fifth station on the Fujinomiya trail, one of the three trails on the Shizuoka side, staff checked climbers’ QR codes and wristbands, issued after paying the entrance fees.

“The entry was smooth and not busy, whereas it was very crowded from the early morning last year. Maybe the new regulations are working,” said Yasuhiro Aoshima, a 63-year-old company employee, as he headed to the summit with a smile.

On the other hand, some hikers faced inconveniences, including being unable to show their entrance pass due to poor signal. Seiji Matsukiyo, a 40-year-old self-employed worker from the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, whose companion faced a problem, smiled wryly and said, “There are some challenges, but I guess it can’t be helped.”

Starting this year, Shizuoka Prefecture mandated that mountaineers climbing to the fifth station or higher learn about the rules and manners regarding environmental preservation of Mount Fuji and safe climbing in advance.

To prevent “bullet climbing” or reckless overnight climbs, entries from the afternoon into the small hours without a mountain hut booking are not permitted. (PNA)