Instagram-famous Japanese store near Mount Fuji issues apology in response to overtourism

By Lilit Marcus, CNN

(CNN) — One week after a small Japanese town announced it was taking unorthodox measures to prevent overtourism at a popular selfie spot, a business caught up in the controversy has made a statement.

Lawson’s, one of Japan’s largest convenience store chains, has an outpost in the small town of Fujikawaguchiko. The town in Yamanashi prefecture is well known among tourists due to its location at the beginning of one of the most popular hiking trails up Mount Fuji – and, now, for its beautiful views of the mountain.

Tourists have flooded into Fujikawaguchiko to take one specific picture – a shot of Mount Fuji behind a Lawson’s store, where the mountain’s classic elegance contrasts with the store’s modern neon signage.

This photo vantage spot has become so popular that Fujikawaguchiko is now taking a drastic step – erecting a barrier to block the view of the mountain to deter would-be picture-takers.

Although Lawson’s has not encouraged visitors to take pictures of its store, the company nevertheless issued a statement addressing the issue on May 5.

“We offer our sincere apologies to local residents, customers of these stores, and others for inciting inconvenience and concern due to the popularization of the Lawson Kawaguchiko Station Branch,” the statement reads.

And while the town of Fujikawaguchiko is already building the eight-foot-tall barrier that will go up behind the store, Lawson’s says it will take its own steps to prevent bad tourist behavior by putting up signs in multiple languages that warn visitors against littering, blocking traffic and more.

In addition, Lawson’s says it has considered hiring private security to manage the store and surrounding area.

While simply taking a picture may not seem like a life-altering issue, officials recently told CNN the huge increase in tourists – and their attendant bad behavior – has wreaked havoc on tiny Fujikawaguchiko.

During peak season, it is common for the town to have three times as many visitors as residents.

Many of the photographers who set up their gear in front of Lawson’s leave trash, prevent residents from moving around freely, and stand in the road, which can block traffic and cause accidents, said an unnamed official. Several owners of businesses near the Lawson’s went to the city council with complaints.

Fujikawaguchiko is one of many places in Japan coping with overtourism. The country fully reopened post-pandemic in late 2022, leading to a surge of rescheduled trips and “revenge travel.”

March 2024 was Japan’s highest tourism month on record, with the country welcoming more than three million travelers. Many of them headed to the same destinations, crowding Kyoto’s narrow streets and the walking trails of Mount Fuji.

The damage to Mount Fuji, called Fuji-san in Japanese, has been so significant that local leaders are pushing for stronger measures to regulate tourism at the UNESCO World Heritage site.

In 2023, a Yamanashi prefectural government official told CNN that overtourism was the single biggest problem on Fuji-san. In addition to the sheer number of additional bodies, he expressed concern about the problems that come along with more visitors, including erosion, litter, increased carbon emissions and environmental damage caused by hikers who go off marked trails.

And Lawson’s is not the only Japanese tourist destination that has resorted to putting up signs warning visitors of bad behaviors.

In Kyoto’s historic Gion neighborhood, throngs of tourists cramming the tiny alleys in hopes of spotting a geisha on her way to work have caused clashes between visitors and locals. The local Gion council has put up signs and handed out brochures explaining that behaviors like following geisha, taking pictures of them without asking permission and pulling on their kimonos are disrespectful, but “geisha paparazzi” continues regardless.

No one has a perfect answer for how Japan can cope with overtourism. But Fujikawaguchiko expects to have its picture-blocking barrier in place by the end of the month.

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CNN’s Himari Semans contributed reporting.