C‘is a term, ancient and full of meaning, which explains well why the whole world is fascinated by Japan: Mono no aware. It is not a simple word, but a state of mind: it is the ability to be moved by the fleeting beauty of nature and life. This profound sensitivity has shaped the way in which the Land of the Rising Sun experiences spring over the centuries. Not surprisingly, flowering has never been considered a banal botanical eventbut rather a collective exercise in contemplation. Today, however, that enchantment of silences and sighs seems to have been broken under the weight of excessively noisy tourism.
The famous cherry blossom festival in Japan has been cancelled
In Fujiyoshida, the authorities have made a decision that has the flavor of a surrender: the famous cherry tree festival, in Arakurayama Sengenè park, has been officially cancelled. There are those who will think that the news is just a tourist news story, but this is not the case: it is, instead, of the symptom of a deeper disease which is hitting the most dreamed of destinations on the planet: the visual consumption that devours reality. But the Mount Fuji for the Japanese it is not a postcard, he is a deity, a spiritual point of reference and a neighbor. And this is why, today, that neighbor finds himself having to bar his windows to defend himself from an enthusiasm that has lost all sense of limits.
The end of a community’s patience
The decision of the local authorities did not come suddenly. It is the result of years of small and large daily abuses by tourists. Just to give an example, going to the grocery store has become an obstacle course, among hundreds of immobile people with their arms stretched upwards. But not only that, residents have reported situations that go far beyond simple discomfort: private gardens trampled to find the perfect angleincessant noise and a total lack of respect for basic hygiene rules.
In Fujiyoshida, the harmony was broken. The cherry blossom festival canceled due to too much tourism. (Getty Images)
Why now? Japan is cheaper
The reason why overtourism has also affected Japan has very precise economic roots. In recent times, the yen, the country’s currency, has undergone a significant devaluation, offering the European or American tourist the possibility of taking a trip, usually very expensive, at much more accessible prices. Tourists who have therefore increased dramatically and who local infrastructures are unable to contain. This massive influx is obviously also fueled by social networks, that push thousands of people towards the exact same point, at the exact same time.
The barriers of discord and the new tolls
Fujiyoshida is just the latest piece of a mosaic of restrictions that is changing the face of Japanese tourism. In Fujikawaguchiko, for example, physical barriers have been installed to obscure the view of Fuji and prevent tourists from dangerously invading the roadway. Along the paths that lead to the summit of the volcano, Maximum attendance limits and significant entrance fees have been introduced. And UNESCO is also carefully monitoring the situation. The risk is, in fact, that the environmental and social degradation lead to the loss of World Heritage titlesan incalculable damage for thethe identity of a nation that has always made decorum its main pride.
A future made of queues and awareness
The decision to cancel the event appears much more like a cry for help than a hostile act. A drastic choice that aims to shake the conscience of those who traveltransforming into an invitation to reflect on the weight of one’s presence. Because if it is true that traveling is a right that allows us to discover the world, it is It is equally true that being guests is a privilege that requires profound responsibility.
