Tourism Fujiyoshida cancels cherry blossom festival over ill-behaved tourists

However, authorities say the number of visitors in recent years has "increased dramatically, exceeding the city's capacity and resulting in overtourism, which is having a serious impact on the living environment of residents". Now, as many as 10,000 visitors flock to the town daily during the peak blossom season, Fujiyoshida authorities add in a statement. This increase is "due to factors such as the weak yen and explosive popularity fueled by social media". The town's authorities report that tourists were "opening private home doors without permission to use the restroom," trespassing, littering and "defecating in private yards and raising a fuss when residents pointed this out". Although the festival will not proceed, the city is preparing for an increase in visitors in April and May.

Click to expand...

With its fading textile industry, Fujiyoshida once craved more tourists to help rejuvenate its economy. Not anymore. There have been widely publicised reports of visitors using backyards as bathrooms, entering homes without permission, blocking school traffic and leaving behind heaps of trash. This year, the town took drastic action: It cancelled its marquee cherry blossom festival, which began a decade ago, declaring "the peaceful lives of our citizens are being threatened." Officials also banned news outlets from capturing picturesque scenes that "could contribute to overtourism." Mayor Shigeru Horiuchi said the decision to cancel the festival was not about stopping people from seeing cherry blossoms — indeed, officials did not block off any areas. Instead, he said he was trying to discourage tourism in the busiest areas in response to residents' complaints about congestion. While the town has built more bathrooms and parking spaces, it has struggled to manage foot traffic. He also wants tourists to visit parts of Fujiyoshida that aren't familiar on Instagram.

Click to expand...