Foreign climbers of Mt. Fuji to get new certificate

The Yomiuri Shimbun

KOFU--The Yamanashi Prefecture Tourist Association will issue an upgraded certificate of achievement whose design includes an image of Mt. Fuji to foreigners who reach the summit of the 3,776-meter mountain beginning in July, association officials said.

As the present A5-sized certificate uses mainly Japanese characters, it has not been popular with foreign climbers. Beginning this summer, the certificate will be enlarged to B5 size and the background will be filled with an image of Mt. Fuji. Recipients of the certificate will be able to choose from four different languages, including English and Chinese.

The number of foreign climbers of Mt. Fuji has steadily risen. Last year alone, out of 305,000 climbers, 30 percent were foreigners.

Though Mt. Fuji climbing routes also exist from Shizuoka Prefecture, an official from the Yamanashi prefectural tourist board noted that for foreign climbers to receive the certificate, they must climb it from the Yamanashi side.

(Jun. 7, 2009)

Information on how to apply for the certificate, can be found on their official homepage.