Fujiyoshida, Japan cherry blossom festival cancelled because of unruly tourist 'crisis'
Source: The Guardian
Japan cherry blossom festival cancelled because of unruly tourist ‘crisis’
Maya Yang
Fri 6 Feb 2026 00.16 GMT
Last modified on Fri 6 Feb 2026 00.40 GMT
A Japanese cherry blossom festival near Mount Fuji has been cancelled after officials cited a rise in disruptive tourist behaviour.
On Tuesday, officials in the central Japanese city of Fujiyoshida announced they would no longer host the Arakurayama Sengen park cherry blossom festival this year. The weeks-long event has been held for the past decade and attracts about 200,000 tourists annually.
Addressing the cancellation, Fujiyoshida mayor Shigeru Horiuchi said: “Behind [Mount Fuji’s] beautiful landscape is the reality that the quiet lives of citizens are threatened. We have a strong sense of crisis.
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City officials said the town receives more than 10,000 visitors a day during blossom season, driven by “factors such as the weak yen and the explosive popularity fuelled by social media”.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/06/japan-cherry-blossom-festival-cancelled-tourists