Overview
- City officials confirmed the Arakurayama Sengen Park event will not be held this spring after resident reports of disruptive behavior and safety concerns.
- Authorities detailed incidents including entering homes to use toilets, break-ins, discarded cigarette butts, and schoolchildren being pushed on crowded sidewalks.
- Despite the cancellation, the park expects heavy April visitation, with plans for increased security patrols, portable toilets, and temporary parking to ease congestion.
- The festival, launched in 2016, had grown to roughly 200,000 attendees a year, with daily peaks topping 10,000 during peak bloom at the iconic pagoda-and-Fuji viewpoint.
- Officials link the recent surge to viral social media exposure and a weak yen, part of a broader overtourism trend as Japan logged about 42.7 million visitors in 2025.