Mount Fuji, the most famous volcanic mountain in Japan, has been a national symbol for hundreds of years. It has been often depicted in various types of artwork. The famous ukiyoe paintings, the “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji,” by Katsushika Hokusai, shows the famous mountain from different viewpoints. “Fine Breezy Day,” illustrates a red Mount Fuji in the sun rise, and “The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” portrays Mount Fuji in the distance behind a strong ocean tide. The mountain has also been described in many old stories as a mountain with strong powers and spirits, and has long been admired by Japanese people.

The volcanic mountain is located on the boarder of Yamanashi prefecture and Shizuoka prefecture. There is a small friendly feud between the citizens of the two prefectures, over which prefecture the mountain is on, and which has the best views of the mountain.

Mount Fuji was designated as a World Heritage in 2013. Japan asked the World Heritage Committee for the 3776 meter mountain to be selected as a Natural Heritage in 2003, but this request was denied. Nonetheless, it was chosen a decade later as a Cultural Heritage by the committee. Since then, more and more visitors have been wanting to climb and conquer the mountain. However, now that more people are climbing, a major garbage problem has emerged. Even though climbers are instructed to take their garbage back home with them, the amount of litter on the mountain is quite disturbing. Garbage was actually one of the reasons why Mount Fuji was not selected as a Natural World Heritage. With an increase in climbers, the pollution problem is expected to get even more serious. Climbers must respect the mountain and make sure they leave no trace behind in order to preserve the natural beauty and significant cultural values of Mount Fuji.