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Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - TOKYO — A Japanese cherry blossom festival near Mount Fuji has been canceled after officials cited a rise in disruptive tourist behavior.
The influx of tourists to the town of Fujiyoshida has led to chronic traffic congestion and litter.
The area is a popular destination during spring because Japan's world-renowned cherry trees are in full bloom, and can be admired with Mount Fuji in the background.
On Tuesday, city officials announced they would no longer host the Arakurayama Sengen park cherry blossom festival this year. The weeks-long event has been held for the past decade and attracts about 200,000 tourists annually.
But Fujiyoshida's picturesque scenery threatens "the quiet lives of citizens," the city's mayor Shigeru Horiuchi explained, adding: "We have a strong sense of crisis."
“To protect the dignity and living environment of our citizens, we have decided to bring the curtain down on the 10-year-old festival,” he added in his statement.
Authorities cited repeated incidents of disruptive behavior from tourists in the city, which lies to the west of Tokyo. In addition to “opening private home doors without permission to use the restroom,” officials reported “trespassing, littering,” and tourists “defecating in private yards and raising a fuss when residents pointed this out,” the city said.
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Japan’s highest peak Mount Fuji is seen over cherry blossoms in full bloom and a memorial pagoda for war dead at Arakurayama Sengen Park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, central Japan, 16 April 2019.
Despite the festival’s cancellation, its venue – Arakurayama Sengen park – may still attract large April crowds for its views of Mount Fuji, where visitors often queue for hours. To manage the influx, city officials plan to increase security, add temporary parking and install portable toilets.
Cherry blossom season, or hanami (which means looking at flowers), is one of Japan’s most popular travel periods, drawing both domestic and international visitors to parks, temples and scenic spots across the country.
In recent years, tourism in Japan has surged, driven by social media and favorable exchange rates, with iconic sites such as Mount Fuji and Kyoto among the top attractions.
It is not the first time Japanese authorities have had to take measures to address photo-keen tourists.
In 2024, officials blocked one of Japan's most iconic photo spots in Fujikawaguchiko with a big black barrier in a bid to deter badly behaved tourists.
Residents of Fujikawaguchiko had accused foreign tourists of littering and parking illegally as they searched for the perfect picture. — Agencies
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