Read ‘em：富士山登山者数増加

The number of people who climbed Mount Fuji from the Shizuoka Prefecture side this summer between July 10 and Sept. 10 was 84,086, an increase of 27% from last year, and was about 98% of the 2019 level before the coronavirus pandemic, the Shizuoka Prefectural Government announced on Sept. 19.

The number grew drastically as the status of COVID-19 was downgraded to the same category as seasonal influenza under Japan’s infectious disease control law in May this year.

Mount Fuji straddles Shizuoka Prefecture in the south and Yamanashi Prefecture in the north. Three trails are on the Shizuoka Prefecture side, and the data was measured by infrared counters installed by the Ministry of the Environment near the eighth station of each climbing route. By course, 49,545 climbers used the Fujinomiya route, followed by 19,062 climbers on the Subashiri trail, and 15,479 climbers on the Gotemba route.

According to the ministry, the Yoshida course on the Yamanashi Prefecture side drew 137,236 climbers. A total of 221,322 people ascended the mountain via either of the four routes. The total figure was up approximately 38% from last year, and was about 93.9% of that for 2019.

Masayuki Oishi, head of the Mount Fuji World Heritage division at the Shizuoka Prefectural Government, said, “The number of climbers did not increase as previously forecast due to unfavorable weather in August, including during the Obon period (in mid-August).”

Meanwhile, a total of 61,803 climbers, or 73.5% of the total, paid the voluntary conservation cooperation fee of 1,000 yen (about $7) per person at one of the three routes on the Shizuoka Prefecture side. This is a significant increase from the previous record of approximately 67.4% in 2019. Oishi analyzed this and said, “The 10th anniversary of the peak’s World Cultural Heritage registration in June may have heightened interest in conservation.”

　静岡県は19日、この夏の富士登山の静岡側の状況を発表した。開山期間中（7月10日～9月10日）の登山者数は8万4086人だった。新型コロナウイルス感染症の5類移行を受けて昨年比127％と増えたが、コロナ禍前の2019年比では約98％とほぼ横ばいだった。

　データは環境省が各登山ルートの8合目付近に設置した赤外線カウンターで計測したもの。ルート別では、静岡側は登山者数が多い順に富士宮ルート4万9545人▽須走ルート1万9062人▽御殿場ルート1万5479人。同省によると山梨側の吉田ルートは13万7236人で、全4ルートの合計は22万1322人。昨年比約138％、19年比約93・9％だった。

　県富士山世界遺産課の大石正幸課長は「お盆時期など8月に入ってからの天候不順で、事前の予測ほどは登山者が増えなかった」と話した。

　一方、登山者1人当たり1000円を任意で徴収している保全協力金は静岡側3ルートで計6万1803人（協力率約73・5％）が支払った。これまで最高だった19年の約67・4％から大幅に増えた。大石課長は「6月に世界文化遺産登録から10周年を迎え、保全への関心が高まったのではないか」と分析した。