Authorities in the Japanese city of Fujiyoshida have decided to cancel a long-running spring cherry blossom festival at one of the country’s most photographed Mount Fuji viewpoints after residents raised concerns about overcrowding and disruptive tourist behaviour.
The city government in Yamanashi prefecture said on 3 February that it would not stage the annual Arakurayama Sengen Park Cherry Blossom Festival this year. The festival, which has been organised for about a decade, typically draws around 200,000 visitors who come to photograph Mount Fuji framed by blooming cherry blossoms and a five-storey pagoda.
