The climbing season started Monday at Japan's renowned Mount Fuji with one of the four main hiking trails opened, after a mandatory hiking fee was introduced this year to address overtourism concerns.
The prefecture of Yamanashi now charges 2,000 yen (about 12 U.S. dollars) as a mandatory hiking fee for all climbers for the Yoshida Trail, the most commonly used route up the 3,776-meter mountain.
According to the prefecture government, the collected fees will cover expenses regarding safety and conduct, support for foreigners, maintenance, and disaster response services.
As part of the efforts to control visitor numbers and ease congestion, a maximum of 4,000 climbers are accepted per day on the trail, and restrictions will be imposed when the numbers exceed the daily limit.
During the climbing season which lasts until Sept. 10, visitors are encouraged to use the reservation portal on the mountain's official website to book and pay in advance to secure their slots for a set day.
The official climbing season of the other three trails on the Shizuoka Prefecture side is scheduled to begin on July 10.
Mount Fuji, designated as a Uunited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Cultural Heritage site in 2013, is one of the most enduring symbols and popular tourist destinations in Japan, straddling Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures.
Data showed that approximately 220,000 people visited the mountain during the last climbing season.
Mount Fuji to Charge Climbing Fees
Russia said that it had destroyed and damaged multiple Ukrainian warplanes over the past 24 hours, while Ukraine said that it had engaged in 136 battles with Russian forces at the front.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday that the Russian army conducted cluster strikes on Ukrainian military airports with high-precision weapons, destroying five Su-27 fighters and damaging two others in the past 24 hours.
Russian air defense forces shot down several Ukrainian cruise missiles, guided bombs, rockets and 81 drones, as well as a MiG-29 fighter and a Su-27 fighter, according to the minitry.
Also on Tuesday, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that Ukrainian army engaged in 136 battles with Russian forces over the past 24 hours.
The Russian army launched six attacks in the direction of Kharkov. The fighting in Volchansk was still going on as of Tuesday evening, but the overall situation was under control.
Battles in the direction of Pokrovsk was the most intense. The Russian army launched 43 attacks on the Ukrainian defense line in this region as of the evening of Tuesday, while the Ukrainian army repelled 31 Russian attacks.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Tuesday visited Ukraine, which was his first visit to Ukraine since the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Orban held talks on cooperation in the fields of infrastructure and energy, as well as bilateral trade, while exchanging views on achieving future peace. Orban said that Hungary is willing to provide Ukraine with all possible assistance within its capacity during its term as the rotating presidency of EU and suggested that Ukraine reconsider its decisions and accept a temporary ceasefire to advance peace talks with Russia.
Russia claims to destroy Ukrainian warplanes, while Ukraine reports intensive battles
