The city of Fujiyoshida cancelled its iconic spring cherry blossom festival at Arakurayama Sengen Park on February 3, 2026, about eight weeks ahead of its usual April schedule. Municipal officials cited overtourism as the reason that has strained local infrastructure and disrupted daily life.
This Year Could Have Been the 10th Anniversary
Fujiyoshida launched the Arakurayama Sengen Park “Sakura Matsuri” in 2016 in response to growing interest in visiting the area, driven by Mount Fuji, the park’s five-storied pagoda, and its cherry blossom forest.
The city planted 650 Somei Yoshino trees and introduced a “Sakura Marche” with 36 local vendors selling food and regional products such as yakisoba, kushiage, dumplings and sake.
To better manage the growing number of international visitors drawn to Arakurayama Sengen Park, the city set up temporary parking and shuttle buses.
Every year since then, the festival has run from the 1st through mid-April, with free admission, nightly pagoda illumination, and extended parking access.
What Happened in 2025?
Yamanashi Nichinichi Shimbun, a regional daily newspaper based in Yamanashi Prefecture, reported that Fujiyoshida counted 161,182 festival visitors by April 14, 2025, four days before the event ended, in a city of about 46,000 to 47,000 residents.
The paper also reported that the city’s Roads and Parks Division has already asked media outlets to refrain from “overly praising the scenery” to limit visitors.
The concern extended beyond the festival window. While Fujiyoshida lifts Sakura Matsuri traffic restrictions when the event ends, crowds typically build until Japan’s Golden Week holidays (April 29 to May 6).
In 2025, the city has already added measures beyond its usual vehicle-restricted zones, including directing cars into newly developed paid parking and banning tour buses from entering the area around Shimoyoshida Station. It has also deployed about 50 personnel on April 19 and 20, and kept roughly 30 in place through May 6.
2026 And Beyond
Shigeru Horiuchi, Mayor of Fujiyoshida, announced, “Protecting residents’ living environments and dignity must come first. That is why we decided to remove the ‘Cherry Blossom Festival’ banner after ten years.”
The official statement cited the rapid increase in visitors from Japan and abroad as pushing the area beyond its capacity, and overtourism is having a serious impact on residents’ everyday lives.
In recent years, as seen across Japan, factors such as the weak yen and explosive social media exposure have driven a surge in inbound tourism far beyond expectations.
The festival typically draws about 200,000 visitors each spring. During peak cherry blossom season, more than 10,000 visitors per day have crowded the area.
“Going forward, we will build appropriate systems so that residents can live with pride and warmly welcome visitors from around the world,” said Horiuchi.
