By Tim Binnall
A Japanese town tired of troublesome tourists is building a giant screen that will obscure the community's main attraction Mount Fuji. The strange project reportedly got underway late last month in the town of Fujikawaguchiko, which sits at the base of the iconic volcano. By virtue of its breathtaking view of the landmark, the community has become an enormously popular tourist destination in Japan. However, a surge in visitors in recent years has led to all manner of annoyances for residents and forced town officials to take the drastic step of erecting a massive mesh net to thwart picture-taking tourists.
The enormous obstruction, which workers started building along a sidewalk last week, will measure around eight feet tall and a staggering 65 feet long. While the screen may not entirely eliminate opportunities to photograph Mount Fuji from areas within the town, officials hope that taking away a particularly prime location for pictures will lead to a decrease in visitors to the community. Should that be the case, fed-up residents will presumably find some relief from the overcrowding, littering, and other assorted bad behavior brought about by tourists, though one imagines that they may ultimately miss the money spent by those who travel to the town specifically to see the legendary landmark.