Yamanashi Prefecture is scrapping plans for a light-rail system on Mount Fuji due to opposition from local residents, Gov. Kotaro Nagasaki announced on Monday. Instead, he proposed a new plan to use a rubber-tired tram system.
As part of an effort to combat the impact of overtourism on Mount Fuji, the prefecture devised a plan in 2021 that suggested a light-rail system running through what is now the Fuji Subaru Line, the road that connects the foot of the mountain to its most popular fifth station.
The plan had been pushed forward by the governor since then, with hopes that the project would reduce the number of private vehicles and tourist buses coming to the fifth station, and decreasing carbon dioxide emissions on the mountain.