Japan's Fujiyoshida town has decided to cancel this year's cherry blossom festival due to overwhelming tourist crowds.
While Fujiyoshida attracts many visitors in spring for its famous cherry blossoms and scenic views of Mount Fuji, the large crowds are disrupting the daily lives of local residents.
The influx of visitors has led to severe traffic jams, littering and incidents where tourists have trespassed on private property and gardens that made difficult for locals to manage.
As per BBC, Fujiyoshida mayor Shigeru Horiuchi explained that the town feels seriously threatened by this situation and is concerned about the impact on community's peace.
During peal cherry blossom season, up to 10,000 tourists visit Fujiyoshida every day.
Officials say that in recent years, the number of visitors has grown so much that disrupts the daily lives and environment of local residents.
"To protect the dignity and living environment of our citizens, we have decided to bring the curtain down on the 10-year-old festival," Horiuchi added.
The town's authorities report that tourists were "opening private home doors without permission to use the restroom," trespassing, littering and "defecating in private yards and raising a fuss when residents pointed this out."
This increase is due to factors such as the weak yen and explosive popularity fuelled by social media.
