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Sick of Tourists, Japan Town Blocks View of Mt Fuji

Workers install a barrier to block the sight of Japan's Mount Fuji emerging from behind a convenience store to deter badly behaved tourists, in the town of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi prefecture on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)
Workers install a barrier to block the sight of Japan's Mount Fuji emerging from behind a convenience store to deter badly behaved tourists, in the town of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi prefecture on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)
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Sick of Tourists, Japan Town Blocks View of Mt Fuji

Workers install a barrier to block the sight of Japan's Mount Fuji emerging from behind a convenience store to deter badly behaved tourists, in the town of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi prefecture on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)
Workers install a barrier to block the sight of Japan's Mount Fuji emerging from behind a convenience store to deter badly behaved tourists, in the town of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi prefecture on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)

A Japanese town mounted a large mesh barrier at a popular viewing spot for Mount Fuji on Tuesday, to deter photo-taking by an ever-growing number of tourists, Agence France Presse reported.

Japan's most famous sight can be seen for miles around, but Fujikawaguchiko locals are fed up with streams of mostly foreign visitors littering, trespassing and breaking traffic rules in their hunt for a photo to share on social media.

Parking illegally and ignoring a smoking ban, they would cram a pavement to shoot the snow-capped mountain, which soars photogenically into the sky from behind a convenience store, residents said.

Workers began putting the black netting measuring 2.5 by 20 meters in place on Tuesday, and by late morning they were already done, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

"I hope that the net will prevent dangerous activities," resident Michie Motomochi, 41, who runs a traditional Japanese sweet shop, told AFP.

"I think it's disappointing that they are putting it up. It's obviously an iconic shot," said Christina Roys, 36, a tourist from New Zealand.

"But it's completely understandable. We were here last night, managing to get the last shot before they were putting up the wall, and there were so many people," she said.

"It's quite dangerous because of the traffic coming through. There are other spots where you can get the shot of the mountain."

- Online bookings -

Record numbers of overseas tourists are coming to Japan, where monthly visitors exceeded three million for the first time in March and then again in April.

But as in other tourist hotspots, such as Venice -- which recently launched a trial of entry fees for day visitors -- the influx has not been universally welcomed.

In Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto, locals have complained of tourists harassing the city's famed geisha.

And hikers using the most popular route to climb Mount Fuji this summer will be charged 2,000 yen ($13) each, with entries capped at 4,000 to ease congestion.

A new online booking system for the mountain's Yoshida trail opened on Monday to guarantee hikers entry through a new gate, although 1,000 places a day will be kept for day-of entries.

Mount Fuji is covered in snow most of the year, but during the July-September hiking season, more than 220,000 visitors trudge up its steep, rocky slopes.

Many climb through the night to see the sunrise, and some attempt to reach the 3,776-meter (12,388-foot) summit without breaks, becoming sick or injured as a result.

Regional officials have raised safety and environmental concerns linked to overcrowding on the active volcano, a symbol of Japan and a once-peaceful pilgrimage site.

Residents near other popular photo spots in the region, including the so-called Fuji Dream Bridge, have also reportedly complained about overtourism in recent weeks.

One tour operator that offers day trips from Tokyo to the Mount Fuji area told AFP they are taking visitors to another Lawson store nearby where a similar view can be seen, but there are fewer nearby residents.

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Varieties

Is This the Real Face of Anne Boleyn?

A computer science team from the University of Bradford discovered a sketch of Boleyn by using facial recognition on a famous collection of Tudor portraits. (University of Bradford)
A computer science team from the University of Bradford discovered a sketch of Boleyn by using facial recognition on a famous collection of Tudor portraits. (University of Bradford)
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Is This the Real Face of Anne Boleyn?

A computer science team from the University of Bradford discovered a sketch of Boleyn by using facial recognition on a famous collection of Tudor portraits. (University of Bradford)
A computer science team from the University of Bradford discovered a sketch of Boleyn by using facial recognition on a famous collection of Tudor portraits. (University of Bradford)

Anne Boleyn won the heart of King Henry VIII, gave birth to one of the country's most well-known monarchs, and lost her head in 1536, but her appearance has continued to challenge art historians and online sleuths, according to BBC.

Now a computer science team believes they have discovered a previously unknown sketch of Boleyn by using facial recognition on a famous collection of Tudor portraits.

Boleyn became Henry VIII's second wife in 1533, but her reign was short-lived: approximately three years. She was accused of adultery, incest and treason and was executed.

All the painted portraits that exist of her were made after her lifetime, creating a mystery around what she actually looked like and making her appearance the subject of fascination and debate for centuries.”

The research team, led by the University of Bradford, said the new discovery is “exciting” and the methodology could be replicated to do more art detective work. But there is skepticism from within the art history community over the findings.

“We don't have a lifetime painted portrait of her that's absolutely secure, a wonderful painting that we can use as a reference point,” said Dr. Charlotte Bolland, a senior curator for research and 16th-Century collections at the National Portrait Gallery, who is independent from the new study.

She added: “Her reign wasn't necessarily long enough for an established iconography... and there is this tantalizing suggestion that perhaps some of her images might have been deliberately destroyed.”

Although there are no known surviving paintings made in her lifetime, there are a handful of lifelike, yet contested, depictions left. Including a preparatory sketch with her name on it.

It exists within a precious collection of drawings of Tudor court members by the masterful artist Hans Holbein the Younger, now held by the Royal Collection Trust.

Many modern art historians, such as Dr. Bendor Grosvenor, accept the label on this drawing is correct and that it is a surviving contemporary likeness of her.

But there is a counter argument, which claims it was mislabeled.

Despite these opposing theories, what is widely believed, based on written evidence, is that the collection of Holbein drawings does indeed contain a portrait of Anne Boleyn - somewhere.

Varieties

Hoax Calls Prompt Evacuations and Closures at Several US Zoos

This photo provided by the Palm Beach Zoo Conservation Society Clearance shows a koala named Ellin and her newborn joey in a habitat at the Palm Beach Zoo Conservation Society in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (John Towey/Palm Beach Zoo Conservation Society via AP)
This photo provided by the Palm Beach Zoo Conservation Society Clearance shows a koala named Ellin and her newborn joey in a habitat at the Palm Beach Zoo Conservation Society in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (John Towey/Palm Beach Zoo Conservation Society via AP)
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Hoax Calls Prompt Evacuations and Closures at Several US Zoos

This photo provided by the Palm Beach Zoo Conservation Society Clearance shows a koala named Ellin and her newborn joey in a habitat at the Palm Beach Zoo Conservation Society in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (John Towey/Palm Beach Zoo Conservation Society via AP)
This photo provided by the Palm Beach Zoo Conservation Society Clearance shows a koala named Ellin and her newborn joey in a habitat at the Palm Beach Zoo Conservation Society in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (John Towey/Palm Beach Zoo Conservation Society via AP)

Hoax calls involving alleged bomb threats and even claims of active shooters have prompted evacuations and closures at several zoos around the US in recent days, disrupting family plans and taxing public safety resources in some cities.

No explosives or real dangers have been found in the latest string of what authorities are describing as swatting incidents, The Associated Press reported.

The FBI considers swatting an increasing national problem. Aside from diverting resources, such calls can cost thousands of dollars per incident, endanger first responders and the public and can lead to federal charges.

In the latest case, police on Sunday swept the Akron Zoo in northeast Ohio after a threat led to the evacuation of visitors. Authorities gave the all-clear, but zoo managers opted to close for the rest of the day.

Just hours later, police were seen stationed outside the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo as visitors were evacuated due to a threat there. Some visitors took to social media, expressing anger that they had to leave.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in central Ohio was evacuated on Saturday. Zoo president and CEO Tom Schmid told television station WCMH that due to similar threats at other zoos, employees had a safety drill last week and an exercise Saturday morning that helped prepare them for the emergency evacuation.

“This is part of life now around the country, around the world,” Schmid said, noting the uptick in such threats. “And so we have to make sure we’re vigilant.”

Threats also have been called in to zoos in Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida and Arizona.

Last year, dozens of hoax calls to college campuses across the US resulted in classes being canceled, campuses being locked down and in some cases students hiding under desks only to find out later that they were the victims of swatting.

Last week, federal prosecutors announced charges against a juvenile following a series of swatting calls aimed at universities and other institutions in Pennsylvania and elsewhere in August 2025. According to prosecutors, the defendant identified as a member of the cybercriminal group “Purgatory.”

The FBI has logged thousands of swatting incidents since creating a national database in 2023. Targets have included schools, public institutions and celebrities.

“Swatting is sometimes conducted as an act of revenge or a prank. It is a serious crime that has potentially dangerous consequences," the agency said in a statement Sunday. "Law enforcement personnel have been wounded responding to swatting incidents, and victims have been treated for injuries such as heart attacks as a result of such events.”

Varieties

1,500 Beagles Will Get New Lives, Warm Laps after Release from US Research Facility

This undated photo provided by Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee, Fla., shows Daisy, one of about 1,500 beagles being removed from Ridglan Farms, a Wisconsin dog breeding and research business. (Big Dog Ranch Rescue via AP)
This undated photo provided by Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee, Fla., shows Daisy, one of about 1,500 beagles being removed from Ridglan Farms, a Wisconsin dog breeding and research business. (Big Dog Ranch Rescue via AP)
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1,500 Beagles Will Get New Lives, Warm Laps after Release from US Research Facility

This undated photo provided by Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee, Fla., shows Daisy, one of about 1,500 beagles being removed from Ridglan Farms, a Wisconsin dog breeding and research business. (Big Dog Ranch Rescue via AP)
This undated photo provided by Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee, Fla., shows Daisy, one of about 1,500 beagles being removed from Ridglan Farms, a Wisconsin dog breeding and research business. (Big Dog Ranch Rescue via AP)

The first beagles removed from a Wisconsin dog breeding and research facility that was the site of recent protests seemed to know right away that they were safe.

“They started within an hour or so coming up to us, wanting attention. Some crawled in people’s laps. Every single one of them are super sweet,” Lauree Simmons, president and founder of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, said Sunday. “I think they are loving the attention. I just know they know they’re safe.”

Big Dog Ranch Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy negotiated a confidential agreement to purchase the 1,500 dogs for an undisclosed price from Ridglan Farms, where police used tear gas and pepper spray to repel activists trying to take beagles from the facility last month. Protesters also broke into the facility in March and took 30 dogs. Sixty-three people were referred by the sheriff’s department to the district attorney for potential charges related to that break-in.

Talks to purchase the animals began months before the April disturbance, and Simmons said her group wasn't connected to the protests. Now, Big Dog Ranch Rescue is working with partners all over the country to find homes for 1,000 of the dogs, while the Center for a Humane Economy is taking the rest.

Simmons said her group has received over 700 adoption applications, but it might take some time before the hounds are ready for their new homes as the organization screens potential dog parents, moves the animals to shelters around the country and ensures the beagles are housebroken.

The first 300 dogs were taken from Ridglan on Friday, with more scheduled for removal over the next week. The animal groups have set up a staging area with play yards in Wisconsin, where the dogs are being vaccinated, microchipped, spayed or neutered and prepared for transport, Simmons said.

Big Dog Ranch Rescue has already started moving dogs to its location in western Palm Beach County, Florida.

“The younger dogs will adjust quicker, and the older dogs will take time,” The Associated Press quoted Simmons as saying. “A lot of them are more willing to accept love and want to be with people.”

Ridglan Farms didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Beagles are the most common breed of dog used for animal testing, primarily because of their smaller size and gentle temperament, Simmons said.

“A Belgian Malinois is not going to put up with being tested on, being confined in a kennel their whole life,” Simmons said of the athletic shepherd dogs commonly used by police and the military. “Beagles are just so trusting and docile and calm and forgiving, so they are the most chosen dogs for animal testing. And so we’re going to take one of the sweetest, kindest, most trusting breeds and abuse them? This is wrong. This needs to stop.”

Ridglan Farms agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 as part of a deal to avoid prosecution on felony animal mistreatment charges. The firm has denied mistreating animals, but a special prosecutor determined that Ridglan Farms was performing eye procedures that violated state veterinary standards.

About 1,000 activists from across the country came to Ridglan Farms in the rural village of Blue Mounds, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Madison, on April 18 in an attempt to take the beagles. They were met by police who used tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray. The Dane County Sheriff’s Department said 29 people were arrested and five face felony burglary charges.

Activists have filed a federal lawsuit in Wisconsin alleging that police used unnecessary force. Ridglan has said those who tried to break in were a “violent mob” who launched “an assault on a federally licensed research facility.”