Special Mention about Mount Fuji
-Mount Fuji is the heart of Japan
-At 3,776 meters, Mount Fuji is also the highest point in Japan, and it is a volcano with a distinctive conical shape that stands out spectacularly from the surrounding landscape. It is truly vast with a diameter at the base of 35 - 40 km. It is visible over a massive area of central Japan and if you are lucky you can get a great view of it from an airplane as you are coming in to the country. Conservation efforts made for Mount Fuji
Japanese citizens and organizations launching clean-up campaigns. Each year thousands of people—Japanese families, students, environmental groups and corporate employees, along with foreign volunteers—converge on Mount Fuji to pick up trash. In 1998, environmentalist and mountain climber Toyohiro Watanabe founded the Fujisan Club to combat Mount Fuji’s pollution problem by organizing cleanup efforts, raising public awareness and building alliances with “sister mountains” in other countries. The club sponsors clean-up days throughout the year; in 2006 volunteers picked up nearly 80 tons of trash. It is also working to clean up and curb the dumping of industrial and household wastes in the forests at the base of Mount Fuji. In 2003, club members began using global positioning system devices and cell phone cameras to assemble a detailed computer map of the waste sites to aid clean-up. The “Mount Fuji Environmental Rubbish Map,” which includes photos of dump sites, is posted on the club’s Web site with the idea that dumping might be deterred if people know these activities are being monitored. In response to the sewage problems, the Fujisan Club has set up bio-toilets along the route to the summit. The toilets use cedar chips and microorganisms to break down human waste, and since 2002 several have been installed. The Japanese government is also taking steps to clean up Mount Fuji’s human waste-management problem. In 2004 it introduced incinerator-type toilets at Fuji’s summit. These toilets convert a large volume of human waste into a small quantity of ash—about 25 grams for every thousand people—which can then be easily disposed of. More bio-toilets are also being installed. Both toilets require a small fee for use, which helps fund upkeep. It is expected that all 48 of the mountain’s toilet sites will be eco-friendly by March 2007. Observers say the new toilets will boost Mount Fuji’s bid for World Heritage site recognition. Watanabe spearheaded the 1990s campaign to designate Fuji as a World Heritage site, and the Fujisan Club continues those efforts. Through the Sister Mountains program, launched in 2003, the club has linked with the national parks of Mount Rainier in the United States, Mount Ngauruhoe in New Zealand, and Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia. The Ngauruhoe and Kinabalu parks are both on the World Heritage list, and Rainier is known for its well-preserved environment. Beyond building public awareness, Watanabe hopes that his group will be able to learn from the management practices of these national parks and help the Japanese government apply them to Mount Fuji, ultimately enabling the mountain to obtain World Heritage site protection. While the challenge of cleaning up Mount Fuji has been at the forefront of public attention and action, the possibility of a near-future volcanic eruption is a threat that poses far greater consequences. In fall 2000, Japanese scientists began detecting a surge in activity inside the volcano: a significant increase in small tremors—more than 200 a month compared to prior averages of 10 per month—and the movement of magma, possibly toward the surface. This activity, the scientists said, indicated that the volcano could possibly erupt sometime soon. Mount Fuji’s last eruption, in 1707, lasted 16 days and produced a 6-mile-wide cloud of smoke and ash that blocked out the sun in some areas. A government report issued in 2002 said a new eruption could spew lava, debris and ash over hundreds of square miles—threatening nearby villages, cutting off electricity and water supplies, and disrupting road, rail and air travel. Resulting damage could cost up to $21 billion. Experts cannot predict when the next eruption will occur. They do say, however, that it is a question of “when,” not “if.” Although eliminating the threat of volcanic eruption is outside human control, scientists and government authorities are taking steps to mitigate the potential effects of such a disaster. Teams of earthquake experts and volcanologists have conducted tests—including detonating explosions below Fuji’s surface—to map the volcano’s internal structure and determine the paths that magma might take if an eruption occurs. Based on current research, as well as data from the 1707 eruption, experts have been able to create potential hazard maps, and local governments are using this information to develop detailed evacuation and emergency response plans.
What You Can Do
If you visit Mount Fuji, lend your help to the clean-up efforts: pick up any trash you see and use only the environment-friendly toilets.
