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Mount Fuji Crowds Shrink After Japan Brings in Over-Tourism Measures 

This photo taken on September 10, 2024 shows the temporary gate at the Yoshida Exit at the 5th station of Mount Fuji being closed to coincide with the end of the summer mountain climbing season, at Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi prefecture. (AFP)
This photo taken on September 10, 2024 shows the temporary gate at the Yoshida Exit at the 5th station of Mount Fuji being closed to coincide with the end of the summer mountain climbing season, at Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi prefecture. (AFP)
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Mount Fuji Crowds Shrink After Japan Brings in Over-Tourism Measures 

This photo taken on September 10, 2024 shows the temporary gate at the Yoshida Exit at the 5th station of Mount Fuji being closed to coincide with the end of the summer mountain climbing season, at Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi prefecture. (AFP)
This photo taken on September 10, 2024 shows the temporary gate at the Yoshida Exit at the 5th station of Mount Fuji being closed to coincide with the end of the summer mountain climbing season, at Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi prefecture. (AFP)

Fewer climbers tackled Mount Fuji during this year's hiking season, preliminary figures show, after Japanese authorities introduced an entry fee and a daily cap on numbers to fight overtourism.

Online reservations were also brought in this year by officials concerned about safety and environmental damage on the country's highest mountain.

The number of climbers fell by 14 percent between early July -- when the volcano's hiking trails opened for the summer -- and early September, according to the environment ministry.

To calculate its preliminary figures, the ministry used infrared devices installed on the four trails.

It comes despite Japan welcoming a record influx of foreign visitors, with nearly 18 million tourists entering the country in the first half of 2024.

Officials raised the alarm last year about overtourism at the once-peaceful pilgrimage site, with the local governor of Yamanashi region warning that "Mount Fuji is screaming".

This summer the environment ministry counted around 178,000 climbers, compared to more than 200,000 the previous year and before the pandemic.

Gates to the trails were closed on Tuesday, marking the end of the hiking season. The preliminary data runs to September 4 and will be updated on a later date, a ministry official told AFP on Wednesday.

The mountain is covered in snow most of the year but during the summer many trudge through the night to see the sunrise from the 3,776-meter (12,388-foot) summit.

This year, an entry fee of 2,000 yen ($14) plus an optional donation was charged on the popular Yoshida Trail, with numbers capped at 4,000 per day. The three other trails remained free.

Concern had been raised that some climbers were sleeping on the trail or starting fires for heat, while others became sick or injured after trying to reach the summit without breaks.

Mount Fuji is about two hours from central Tokyo by train and can be seen for miles around.

The majestic mountain is a symbol of Japan that has been immortalized in countless artworks, including Hokusai's "Great Wave".

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US Astronaut to Take her 3-year-old's Cuddly Rabbit Into Space

FILE PHOTO: An evening launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, from Space Launch Complex at Vandenberg Space Force Base is seen over the Pacific Ocean from Encinitas, California, US, June 23, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An evening launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, from Space Launch Complex at Vandenberg Space Force Base is seen over the Pacific Ocean from Encinitas, California, US, June 23, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
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US Astronaut to Take her 3-year-old's Cuddly Rabbit Into Space

FILE PHOTO: An evening launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, from Space Launch Complex at Vandenberg Space Force Base is seen over the Pacific Ocean from Encinitas, California, US, June 23, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An evening launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, from Space Launch Complex at Vandenberg Space Force Base is seen over the Pacific Ocean from Encinitas, California, US, June 23, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

When the next mission to the International Space Station blasts off from Florida next week, a special keepsake will be hitching a ride: a small stuffed rabbit.

American astronaut and mother, Jessica Meir, one of the four-member crew, revealed Sunday that she'll take with her the cuddly toy that belongs to her three-year-old daughter.

It's customary for astronauts to go to the ISS, which orbits 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth, to take small personal items to keep close during their months-long stint in space.

"I do have a small stuffed rabbit that belongs to my three-year-old daughter, and she actually has two of these because one was given as a gift," Meir, 48, told an online news conference.

"So one will stay down here with her, and one will be there with us, having adventures all the time, so that we'll keep sending those photos back and forth to my family," AFP quoted her as saying.

US space agency NASA says SpaceX Crew-12 will lift off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida to the orbiting scientific laboratory early Wednesday.

The mission will be replacing Crew-11, which returned to Earth in January, a month earlier than planned, during the first medical evacuation in the space station's history.

Meir, a marine biologist and physiologist, served as flight engineer on a 2019-2020 expedition to the space station and participated in the first all-female spacewalks.

Since then, she's given birth to her daughter. She reflected Sunday on the challenges of being a parent and what is due to be an eight-month separation from her child.

"It does make it a lot difficult in preparing to leave and thinking about being away from her for that long, especially when she's so young, it's really a large chunk of her life," Meir said.

"But I hope that one day, she will really realize that this absence was a meaningful one, because it was an adventure that she got to share into and that she'll have memories about, and hopefully it will inspire her and other people around the world," Meir added.

When the astronauts finally get on board the ISS, they will be one of the last crews to live on board the football field-sized space station.

Continuously inhabited for the last quarter century, the aging ISS is scheduled to be pushed into Earth's orbit before crashing into an isolated spot in the Pacific Ocean in 2030.

The other Crew-12 astronauts are Jack Hathaway of NASA, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.

Varieties

iRead Marathon Records over 6.5 Million Pages Read

Participants agreed that the number of pages read was not merely a numerical milestone - SPA
Participants agreed that the number of pages read was not merely a numerical milestone - SPA
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iRead Marathon Records over 6.5 Million Pages Read

Participants agreed that the number of pages read was not merely a numerical milestone - SPA
Participants agreed that the number of pages read was not merely a numerical milestone - SPA

The fifth edition of the iRead Marathon achieved a remarkable milestone, surpassing 6.5 million pages read over three consecutive days, in a cultural setting that reaffirmed reading as a collective practice with impact beyond the moment.

Hosted at the Library of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and held in parallel with 52 libraries across 13 Arab countries, including digital libraries participating for the first time, the marathon reflected the transformation of libraries into open, inclusive spaces that transcend physical boundaries and accommodate diverse readers and formats.

Participants agreed that the number of pages read was not merely a numerical milestone, but a reflection of growing engagement and a deepening belief in reading as a daily, shared activity accessible to all, free from elitism or narrow specialization.

Pages were read in multiple languages and formats, united by a common conviction that reading remains a powerful way to build genuine connections and foster knowledge-based bonds across geographically distant yet intellectually aligned communities, SPA reported.

The marathon also underscored its humanitarian and environmental dimension, as every 100 pages read is linked to the planting of one tree, translating this edition’s outcome into a pledge of more than 65,000 trees. This simple equation connects knowledge with sustainability, turning reading into a tangible, real-world contribution.

The involvement of digital libraries marked a notable development, expanding access, strengthening engagement, and reinforcing the library’s ability to adapt to technological change without compromising its cultural role. Integrating print and digital reading added a contemporary dimension to the marathon while preserving its core spirit of gathering around the book.

With the conclusion of the iRead Marathon, the experience proved to be more than a temporary event, becoming a cultural moment that raised fundamental questions about reading’s role in shaping awareness and the capacity of cultural initiatives to create lasting impact. Three days confirmed that reading, when practiced collectively, can serve as a meeting point and the start of a longer cultural journey.

Varieties

Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Reserve Launches Fifth Beekeeping Season

Jazan’s Annual Honey Festival - File Photo/SPA
Jazan’s Annual Honey Festival - File Photo/SPA
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Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Reserve Launches Fifth Beekeeping Season

Jazan’s Annual Honey Festival - File Photo/SPA
Jazan’s Annual Honey Festival - File Photo/SPA

The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Nature Reserve Development Authority launched the fifth annual beekeeping season for 2026 as part of its programs to empower the local community and regulate beekeeping activities within the reserve.

The launch aligns with the authority's objectives of biodiversity conservation, the promotion of sustainable environmental practices, and the generation of economic returns for beekeepers, SPA reported.

The authority explained that this year’s beekeeping season comprises three main periods associated with spring flowers, acacia, and Sidr, with the start date of each period serving as the official deadline for submitting participation applications.

The authority encouraged all interested beekeepers to review the season details and attend the scheduled virtual meetings to ensure organized participation in accordance with the approved regulations and the specified dates for each season.