Japan takes down giant black screen blocking view of Mount Fuji ahead of Typhoon Ampil

Screen installed in May to deter unruly tourists from overcrowding streets

Town authorities in Japan’s Fujikawaguchiko have removed a huge black screen that had been blocking an iconic view of Mount Fuji, officials said Tuesday.

The screen, installed in late May this year, was removed last Thursday to prevent it from being damaged by Typhoon Ampil, the officials said.

Known as a place that offers some of the best views of the iconic Japanese mountain, the town erected the screen on a stretch of street to deter tourists from overcrowding the place.

A particularly popular photo location was outside a Lawson convenience store, from where a photograph taken at a particular angle would make it seem as if Mount Fuji was sitting atop the store roof.

The tourists, mostly foreigners, even dubbed the spot “Mt Fuji Lawson.”

This photo taken on 21 May 2024 shows a worker installing a barrier to block the sight of Japan’s Mount Fuji (AFP via Getty Images)

But the townspeople were unhappy as visitors would block the narrow sidewalk, take photos on the busy road or walk into neighbours’ properties in pursuit of their shot, officials said. Construction of the 2.5m-high black mesh net, stretching for 20m along the sidewalk, was completed on 21 May.

The town lowered the screen on 15 August as the typhoon approached. While the poles and wires for the screen remain in place, it will not be put up again as long as visitors’ behaviour remains improved, one of the officials said. Although Ampil was not expected to make landfall, authorities issued evacuation orders and warnings in anticipation of dangerous conditions.

“We wanted to see what would happen," the town official told AFP. "There are still some people who come to the place.”

There has been no trouble since the screen was taken down last week, the local officials told the wire agency.

Thousands of people in Japan were ordered to evacuate last week and hundreds of flights and trains cancelled as Typhoon Ampil approached Tokyo.

The widespread disruptions came as Japan celebrated the Obon holiday week when millions of people returned to their hometowns.

Ampil, which was expected to reach waters near Tokyo by Friday, was the seventh typhoon of 2024 to hit Japan. It packed sustained winds of 162kph and moved north at 15kph, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Additional reporting by agencies