Mt. Fuji may soon require off-season climbers to register with government or pay for their rescues

The question of whether it’s illegal to hike Mt.

Fuji in the off-season is complex, and so is the question of who should pay for it .

With this year’s Mt.

Fuji climbing season now finished, forestry officials in Shizuoka , one of the two prefectures in which Japan’s tallest mountain has a footprint, are getting set for a meeting to analyze and evaluate things like the flow of hiking traffic on the trails and how well they were managed.

They’ll also be discussing something related to climbing Mt.

Fuji outside of the hiking season, and their decisions could lead to changes requiring lost or injured hikers to pay for the cost of their own rescues .

To recap, Mt.

Fuji has an officially designated hiking season .

The exact dates vary by year and trail, but in general the hiking season runs from early July to early September .

The question of whether or not climbing outside of the official season is illegal or not is somewhat complex.

As posted on the Mt.

Fuji Official Climbing Website, under Article 46 of the Road Act, all official trails leading to the summit of Mt.

Fuji are closed and prohibited from use during the off-season, and those who violate the restriction can face penalties of up to six months in prison and a fine of 300,000 yen (US$1,890).

This restriction is based on the trails’ status as prefectural roads, which places them under the jurisdiction of their respective prefectures and allows for local authorities to prohibit their use. ▼ “Hey man, what’re you in for?” “I hiked the Yoshida trail in December.” On the other hand, ascending Mt.