One of Japan’s best-known and most popular sites for viewing sakura, or cherry blossoms, has called off its cherry blossom festival for this year, saying it’s become just too much for them.
Funiyoshida, where Mount Fuji is the background for the blossoms, is feeling overwhelmed by a massive rise in littering and crowds trespassing on private homes to find toilets and alarmed by reports of children pushed off sidewalks by sheer crowd size.
Mayor Shigeru Horiuchi told press that ‘For Fujiyoshida City, Mount Fuji is not just a tourist attraction; it is our very way of life. However, I feel a strong sense of crisis about the reality that, behind the beautiful scenery, the quiet lives and dignity of our residents are being threatened.’
However, news reports have suggested that the cancelation may have limited effect; large crowds, many of them unaware that there will be no planned activities, are expected to show up anyway.
Photo: Fujiyoshida Tourism Association
