Mt. Fuji Cherry Blossom Festival Canceled Due to Misbehaving Tourists

City officials in Fujiyoshida, Japan, have canceled the city’s long-running cherry blossom festival, citing overcrowding and disruptive tourist behavior.

Recent surges in tourism have caused numerous issues in Japan, as towns and cities are unable to handle the massive crowds who come to take in the beautiful sights and snap photos.

As Hidden Japan Gems reported this week, Fujiyoshida officials canceled the 2026 Arakurayama Sengen Park Cherry Blossom Festival this year. The event has historically drawn over 200,000 visitors to the area each year, leading to significant overcrowding.

The festival has garnered attention on social media each year thanks to its stunning views of cherry blossoms, the Chureito Pagoda, and Mt. Fuji in the background. It’s a quintessential view of cherry blossom season in Japan and makes for gorgeous photos.

However, there is such a thing as too many people. Local authorities say that during peak cherry blossom season, as many as 10,000 people can visit the scenic viewpoint daily, which is unmanageable for the small city of under 50,000 people.

High levels of tourism are a significant issue in Japan right now. As The Independent reports, Japan had a record number of foreign visitors in 2025 as the total number of tourists eclipsed 40 million people for the first time.

For the small city of Fujiyoshida, the cherry blossom festival has simply become too much to handle. The city says it has received increasing complaints from residents who claim visitors are trespassing, littering, relieving themselves in private yards, and even being confrontational, Kyodo News explains. Parents also expressed fears that their children could be hurt as visitors push them aside when they are traveling to and from school.

While the cherry blossom festival itself is canceled this year, local officials still expect a significant uptick in visitors during cherry blossom season. The city is planning to enhance security measures, establish temporary parking lots, and install portable toilets to reduce the burden and inconvenience on city residents. Kyodo News notes that visitors can sometimes wait up to three hours in line to get a photo from the best spot in Arakurayama Sengen Park.

“I feel a deep sense of crisis as I witness the reality that, behind this beautiful scenery, the quiet lives of our citizens are being threatened,” said Fujiyoshida Mayor Shigeru Horiuchi.

Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.