Fuji looks like a convenience store”, “The cherry blossoms are ruined”… We walked around the site of the Meguro River Cherry Blossom Festival, which was rocked by the installation of “blindfolds”.

The ultimate in overtourism

The Cherry Blossom Festival attracts 2.3 million visitors every year to enjoy the cherry blossoms along the Meguro River. This year’s cherry blossom viewing season was also a great success, with large crowds on both March 28 and 29.

However, this year, a new blindfolded banner with “No Stays” and “One Way” signs has been installed on both sides of the Hinode Bridge, just outside of Nakameguro Station, causing a stir. This is the first time that such an obstacle has been installed to hide the scenery.

The Meguro River during the cherry blossom season has long been a problem for over-tourism and littering. In addition, people rushing to take pictures on the bridge, which overlooks a view of cherry blossoms lining both sides of the river, have been obstructing traffic, and it seems that a blindfold curtain has been installed as a countermeasure. This reminds me of the case of the “Mt. Fuji Convenience Store” where tourists crowded into the area and covered it with a curtain.

What is happening there? We visited the area on Sunday the 29th, a perfect day for cherry blossom viewing, with a temperature of 22 degrees Celsius in central Tokyo.

Upon arrival at Nakameguro Station on the Tokyu Toyoko Line, I was immediately greeted with a message inside the station : “Please refrain from taking pictures from the platform. It interferes with the operation of the train! The station staff shouted, “Please refrain from taking pictures from the platform. The station staff was shouting and guiding the flow of traffic. Even after exiting the station, police and security guards were maintaining traffic in front of the traffic signal, and it seemed that many people had come to view the cherry blossoms along the Meguro River.

The “no staying” and “one-way” signs were posted at Hinode Bridge, a cherry blossom viewing spot located just across the signal from the station. A sign on the stand also called for adherence to the rules, such as “throw trash away at the store of purchase,” “do not make loud noises,” and “observe the one-way traffic.

Littering was rampant in the back alleys.

Operations were running smoothly despite the huge crowds. Around the Hinode Bridge area in question, there was a constant flow of people without stagnation. Many visitors were obeying the security guard’s voice and walking in the one-way traffic. Benches were also roped off and off-limits, so food and drinks bought at stalls had to be consumed while walking. This may seem inconvenient, but the management has prepared a garbage dump for this purpose, so garbage from eating and drinking can be disposed of immediately.

What do visitors actually think of the new initiative? When we spoke to a couple of women who were taking pictures with their phones in hand, they said , “It’s unfortunate, but it can’t be helped.

They said, “We came here to take pictures of the beautiful cherry blossoms, and we were surprised to see this happening. Every year around this time, places famous for cherry blossom viewing get quite crowded with people, so it is inevitable that this kind of response is taken. Besides, I think measures like the stay-behind ban are good because there is no need to worry about people bumping into each other since no one stops to take pictures on the street.”

While there were favorable comments such as “it can’t be helped” and “rules are necessary,” there were also critical comments from some.

A man who takes pictures near the Meguro River every year was upset, saying, “The scenery has deteriorated.

I have been photographing the cherry blossoms around here for years. It’s a beautiful row of cherry trees, so it’s a great spot to take pictures. However, when there are curtains such as ‘no staying’ and ‘one-way traffic,’ it makes it seem unsafe and ruins a great spot for taking pictures.

I felt that if the situation was going to be like this, it would be better to increase the number of security guards and not install the banners. I don’t know how effective this will be since it is the first attempt, but if there is a more landscape-friendly proposal, I would like to see it considered as well.

On the other hand, a small number of people stopped to take pictures, and when entering the back alleys, one could see trash being littered.

Why the blindfold?

What was the intention behind the installation of the curtain? When we asked the person in charge at the Meguro Ward Office, he replied that the curtain was installed on March 17 for the safety of cherry blossom-viewing visitors.

The roads around the Meguro River are narrow, and there is a risk of accidents if people stay on them. We decided to install the curtains and ropes to protect the safety of pedestrians. Although we cannot give a numerical answer as to the actual effect, the ward at least has the impression that the installation of the rope fence has reduced the number of people who enter or stay to take pictures” (Meguro Ward Office).

(Meguro Ward Office ) “Even with the ban on staying, there are still people taking pictures on the side of the road, so we need cooperation from people other than the government.

During the cherry blossom season, a safety council including the fire department and police department meets to decide on measures to be taken. However, the stores that open stalls at each event are not from Meguro Ward and are not well known to the public, so we need to take measures to make that happen. We believe that calling out to them to prohibit staying and organizing the line would also lead to more safety for tourists”.

Cherry blossom viewing around the Meguro River is crowded every year during the cherry blossom season. With the installation of the curtains, this year’s event took on a slightly different aspect. These efforts are generally well received by tourists and seem to have a certain effect. In the past, only residents of the neighborhood could quietly enjoy the cherry blossoms along the Meguro River, but now that so many people have come to the river, restrictions are probably unavoidable in order for everyone to enjoy the cherry blossoms.

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