Pay to Play: Ticket Gate Installed on Northern Mount Fuji Route

Society Environment Guide to Japan Travel

Japan’s highest peak is a popular destination for climbers from both inside and outside Japan. Starting with the 2024 climbing season, the Yoshida trail on the mountain’s north side will collect a ¥2,000 fee per climber, with the ticket gate also serving as a safety checkpoint.
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The Mount Fuji climbing season officially begins on July 1. Ahead of this, Yamanashi Prefecture authorities set up a gate at the fifth station of the northern Yoshida Route up the mountain on June 17. The aim is to provide a facility where climbing fees can be collected and officials can try to stop underprepared climbers, including those aiming to view sunrise from the top after a “bullet climb” to the summit and back, with no rest during the night.

Starting in the 2024 summer climbing season, each climber will be required to pay ¥2,000 to use the Yoshida trail, which is the most popular of four routes leading to the summit. The gate will be closed between 4:00 pm to 3:00 am, with a daily limit of 4,000 entrants (excluding those who have reserved bed space at one of the rest huts higher up the mountain). Payment can be made in advance at the official Mount Fuji climbing website; climbers display a code on their smartphone to pass the gate. The tolls will be used to improve multilingual support for foreign climbers and to enhance safety guidance on the mountain.

On June 19, a preliminary exercise took place to prepare staff for handling foreign visitors and underequipped climbers. Yamanashi Governor Nagasaki Kōtarō visited the fifth station, located at 2,300 meters’ elevation on the 3,776-meter peak, and explained that these measures are aimed at ensuring that all climbers, both from within Japan and overseas, can fully enjoy their experience on the mountain.

The fifth station is a popular stop for large sightseeing buses even before the start of the climbing season. (© Nippon.com)
The fifth station is a popular stop for large sightseeing buses even before the start of the climbing season. (© Nippon.com)

Multilingual staff are on hand to offer foreign visitors advice on climbing the mountain safely. (© Nippon.com)
Multilingual staff are on hand to offer foreign visitors advice on climbing the mountain safely. (© Nippon.com)

Lightly equipped climbers are warned about the need for warm clothing, proper footwear, and rain gear. (© Nippon.com)
Lightly equipped climbers are warned about the need for warm clothing, proper footwear, and rain gear. (© Nippon.com)

Yamanashi Governor Nagasaki demonstrates how to pass the gate with proof of prepayment on a phone. Hikers are issued a wristband showing they have paid the entry fee. (© Nippon.com)
Yamanashi Governor Nagasaki demonstrates how to pass the gate with proof of prepayment on a phone. Hikers are issued a wristband showing they have paid the entry fee. (© Nippon.com)

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: Climbers pass through the newly installed gate at the fifth station on Mount Fuji’s Yoshida trail. © Nippon.com.)

Mount Fuji tourism Yamanashi climbing