Overview
- City leaders ended the 10-year Arakurayama Sengen Park event for 2026 following complaints about trespassing, littering and reports of tourists defecating in private yards.
- Mayor Shigeru Horiuchi said quiet daily life had been threatened, citing a duty to protect citizens’ living environment.
- Authorities expect heavy spring visitation to continue and will deploy more security, install portable toilets and open temporary parking to ease congestion.
- The festival, launched in 2016, had drawn roughly 200,000 visitors annually, with peak days topping 10,000 as social media boosted the site’s visibility.
- The decision follows a broader regional push to contain tourism impacts, including a 2024 black net in nearby Fujikawaguchiko that blocked a popular Mount Fuji view.