Mount Fuji Assaulted By Hikers

Mount Fuji Assaulted By Hickers

The ascent up the well sculpted paths of Mount Fuji is not the hardest one on the planet, even so, thousands of people make the journey each year to greet the sun that shines on the holy mountain. And after the peak standing at 12,388 feet was named a UNESCO World Heritage site, the mount could be visited by even more tourists, a development that could seriously damage the natural environment on the mountain.

More than a quarter million people climb the mountain each year and contribute to the ever-growing pollution.

Another aspect that make the climb less spiritual and more dangerous are the safety conditions. With numerous traffic jams between hikers, especially as dawn approaches, the numbers of hurt tourists have soared.

The Mountain is a true landmark for Japan and had its characteristic cone shape formed when an eruption that took place thousands of years ago buried other peaks and created the almost perfect shape it has today.

The site is surrounded by other beautiful landmarks like countless lakes, forests and natural parks. The recent UNESCO rating has it’s downsides. It will increase opportunities for surrounding businesses with a larger number of tourists but could also destroy the natural beauty of the site.

Posted by Sophia Andrews on Sunday September 15 2013, 8:27 AM EST. Ref: FOX News. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Travel. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0