Tourism and Mount Fuji - Case Study Example

Tourism and Mount Fuji April 27, Introduction Mount Fuji (Fuji-san) is the highest mountain in Japan with a height of 12,388 feet. It can be seen from Tokyo on a clear day. Mt. Fuji is located in the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park and is surrounded by five lakes: Lake Kawaguchiko, Lake Yamanakako, Lake Saiko, Lake Motosuko and Lake Shojiko. Fuji-sans dimensions are remarkable: 12,388 feet high; 78 miles in circumference and 25-30 miles in diameter around the base; with a crater spanning 1600 feet in diameter (Sacred Destination, n.d.). Geologists estimated that Mount Fuji was formed around 600,000 years ago during the Pleistocene era (Sacred Destination, n.d.). It last erupted in 1707 and is classified already as a dormant volcano. Buddhist tradition believes that Fuji rose from the earth in 286 BC after an earthquake that also produced Lake Biwa (the largest lake in Japan) (Sacred Destination, n.d.). Mt. Fuji is named after the Buddhist fire goddess Fuchi and is sacred to the Shinto goddess Sengen-Sama, whose shrine is also found at the summit. It is considered as the holiest of Japans “Three Holy Mountains.” Every summer, thousands of pilgrims and tourists mount to the summit, many of them hiking throughout the night to watch the sunrise from the summit. Around 200,000 Japanese and foreign tourists climb the mountain every year (Freire, 2007). Lately, however, Mount Fuji has been called as the “highest garbage dump” in Japan (Celsias). Apparently, tourists and local communities near it have been dumping all sorts of garbage along the path of the mountain, as well as its on base (Freire, 2007). Volunteers have been cleaning up the mountain, although the garbage problem persists (Celsias, n,d.). This paper explores how tourism has impacted Mount Fuji from a sociocultural perspective. Socio-Cultural Impacts of Tourism Tourism aims to improve the socioeconomic welfare of local communities through increasing employment and incomes that come indirectly and directly from tourism activities. Tourism, however, also produces problems of pollution and possible negative effects on the attitudes and practices of local residents. Mount Fuji has enjoyed a healthy stream of tourists, but it has also experienced several problems that tourism either contributed to or made worse. Increased Consumption Patterns, Increased Waste Production Tourism and other economic activities have improved businesses around it and enhanced the purchasing power of some local residents. As a result, they have more money to buy things, but less money to take care of their garbage. The effect of tourism then is increased consumption patterns and increased waste production. In Japan, businesses and residents pay for the recycling of their products, so many of them practice the throwing of garbage at Mount Fuji instead to save money. Some volunteers respond to the garbage problem by cleaning up what they can. While trash along the walk and hiking paths is decreasing due to the the cleanup efforts, refuse that have been thrown around the foot of the mountain by local businesses and residents continues to be large problem, since they have accumulated for several decades already. Software developer Koji Nonaka, 43, and also a cleanup volunteer says: “I came here thinking wed see bits of trash just lying around that we could easily pick up. But they say that some of this stuff we got today had been there for 20 or 30 years. We really had to dig to get it out” (Celsias, n.d.). The dumping is hard to prevent and monitor because of the area of Mount Fuji (Celsias, n.d.). Most dumpers aim to prevent paying for Japans garbage collection fees (Celsias, n.d.).Local governmental patrols and surveillance cameras are being employed, but they are not enough to guard Mount Fuji from dumper. "Picking it up is not enough -- people have to learn not to create so much in the first place," Ken Noguchi, mountaineer and environmental activist, tells volunteers over the Internet in mid-April from Mount Everest, where he led a cleanup campaign (Celsias, n.d.). His main point is that cleanup is not enough, when people continue to consumer mindlessly without thinking of the responsibility of cleaning up their garbage. Garbage Problem The direct effect of tourism on Mount Fuji is garbage or land pollution. Mount Fuji, “the pride of the nation and symbol of the Japanese soul,” has been turned into a garbage dump (Freire, 2007). Tourists and local residents have turned Mount Fuji as a garbage site, defying the sacredness of the place. Noguchi, a Fujisan Club member, came from Mt. Everest last month with 1,100 pounds of garbage (Celsias, n.d). "Weve found everything from household trash to broken TV sets and other appliances," asserts Mayumi Wakamura, who starts periodic cleanups of the mountain (Freire, 2007). She adds: “Sometimes we find hazardous materials like leaky old car batteries” (Freire, 2007). There is no exact estimate on how much trash is buried on Fuji, but Wakamuras Fujisan Club says it already had 187,000 pounds of illegally dumped garbage from the mountains slopes in the 12 months (Freire, 2007). Fujis garbage problem is a “potent symbol of the general environmental destruction wrought by decades of industrialization in a nation with one of the highest population densities on Earth” (Freire, 2007). Tourism contributes to it, because of the trash from tourists and the local residents. Failure in Becoming a World Heritage Site The garbage problem has reached a symbolic meaning, when the vying for the World Heritage Site has been turned down because of Mount Fuji’s garbage problem. In the mid-1990s, activists and local officials inquired and requested the officials from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to appraise informally Fujis chances for joining the list, said Fujisan Club official Naoko Aoki (Freire, 2007). UNESCO said “not good” because of the trash management problem in the area (Freire, 2007). Because of this, some Japanese wanted to do some action. The Fujisan Club was formed in 1998 and now has about 1,100 members. The group holds regular, all-day cleanups of the mountain. Poor Image of Environmental Management In 1998, the Fujisan Club was made to deal with the problem and to help enhance Fujis chances of being named World Heritage site by the United Nations (Averett, 2007). The group has grown to 1,100 members, who organize frequent clean-ups (Celsias, n.d). Between March 2006 and March 2007, the group had taken 187,000 pounds of trash (Celsias, n.d). Group members say it is hard to know how much garbage there is because much is underneath the top soil (Celsias, n.d). Cameras, patrols and steeper fines have helped deter dumpers, but environmentalist and mountaineer Ken Noguchi, who is part of the club, says his countrymen must learn to decrease the waste they produce overall. Dumping penalties had been increased but the effect is small on dumpers (Businessweek, 2003). These stories demonstrate that there is a poor sense of waste and environmental management in the area. Tourists and local residents alike are not aware of dumping practices and its effect on the environment and welfare of the communities. Similar Problem in other Mount Everest Mount Everest Some people have the grand vision of climbing the tallest mountain of the world, only to realize that it has also become the highest dumping site of the world (Chen, 2010; Reuters, 2007). In one celebration of Earth Day, 20 Nepali climbers cleaned up Mount Everest and brought back an estimated 4,400 pounds of trash (Chen, 2010). The trash had been accumulated through six decades of climbing and includes dead and frozen bodies along the trail, discarded oxygen tanks, camp tents and even eating utensils (Chen, 2010). Thangham (2008) reported: “The climbers, either after conquering Mt. Everest or making an attempt to conquer it, leave behind their high-tech climbing equipment, plastics, food, tins, oxygen tanks, aluminum cans, clothes, glass, papers, tents especially along the Southeast Ridge, the most popular route to the summit.” While many cleanup efforts have been tried in the past, one mission went beyond 25,246 feet into the “death zone.” The veteran crew is led by Namgyal Sherpa, who headed the mission called Extreme Everest Expedition 2010. This example shows that cleanup and legal efforts are not enough and that there is a need to create a culture of environmental consciousness. Recommendations Clean-Up Efforts One of the efforts that can reduce trash in area of Mount Fuji is through cleanup efforts. Cleanup has an immediate effect on the level of trash, as what past cleanup efforts have shown and which have collected thousands of pounds of trash. It also promotes a level of responsibility among local residents. Cleaning up the trash, however, is not a long term solution, especially when trash continues to be dumped in different areas of the mountain. Other efforts have to be combined in order to assure the cleanliness of Mount Fuji. “Trash- In Trash- Out” Policies These policies mean that everything brought to Mount Fuji must be brought outside too, especially garbage. What is food or essential during the trip, such as food and utensils, may be unessential later on. These policies must be well communicated to tourists, where every tourist should attend a 10 minute orientation, before they can climb Mount Fuji. They should also sign a token agreement, where they promise not to dump anything at the mountain, so that they will feel more responsible for their trash. Trail Transfers Well-used trails should be transferred as part of cleanup efforts. This will ensure that the same trails will not experience accumulation of trash. The government will intervene in this effort, so that new trails can provide better waste management options. A Campaign To “Build A Culture Of Keeping The Mountain Clean” The most important effort is to build a culture of keeping the mountain clean. This includes Community-Based Educational Programs that teach residents about the value of keeping the mountain clean and decreasing consumption that is not needed. The long-term effort is to change values, attitudes, and practices of consumption and tourism that contribute to the garbage problem. Schools, churches, and communities should work together in educating people about managing consumption so that garbage can be effectively managed too. Tourists should be exposed to policies and orientations about the garbage problem and how it can be properly addressed. Incentives should be provided to businesses and residents who practice the R’s or reduce, reuse, and recycle. The government should lead in buying recyclable parts and garbage, so that the people would be motivated to not dump at the Mount Fuji anymore. Garbage problems should be a community and individual responsibility that would be taught to all, residents and tourists alike. Education should be done through 10 minute orientations for the tourists and educating residents about the holy and ethical responsibility of keeping Mount Fuji clean. This mountain is a sacred site and should be protected from garbage, because garbage is literally and symbolically foul to nature, especially holy sites. It is important for people to understand that they cannot consume more than they can manage as garbage and that they should be responsible for their trash. References Averett, S. (2007, July). Landfill of the Rising Sun. Waste Age, 38 (7). Businessweek. (2003, October 27). Turning trash into cash. Businessweek. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/03_43/b3855017.htm Celsias. (no date). Trash turns Mt. Fuji into Japans highest garbage dump. Retrieved from http://www.celsias.com/article/trash-turns-mt-fuji-into-japans-highest-garbage-du/ Chen, K. (2010, May 10). Cleaning up Mount Everest. Earth 911.com. Retrieved from http://earth911.com/news/2010/05/10/cleaning-up-mount-everest/ Freire, C. (2007, June 10). Mountains of trash foul sacred Mt. Fuji. The Seattle Times. Retrieved from http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003741882_fuji10.html Reuters. (2007, May 28). Climbers clear mountain of garbage from Everest. Reuters.com. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/05/28/us-nepal-everest-garbage-idUSSP20553520070528 Sacred Destinations. (no date). Mount Fuji. Retrieved from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/japan/mount-fuji Thangham, C.V. (2008, July 17). Mt. Everest: World’s highest garbage dump? Digital Journal. Retrieved from http://digitaljournal.com/article/257517 Read More