Oshino Hakkai Faces Environmental Concerns as Tourist Coin Tossing Raises Water Quality Issues

A clear pond, sourced from underground water flowing from Mount Fuji, a World Heritage Site should have been—

With Golden Week beginning, so-called misunderstood etiquette violations by inbound tourists are occurring frequently at sightseeing spots across Japan. One issue that has been gaining particular attention in recent years is the coin-tossing problem at the Oshino Hakkai springs (Yamanashi Prefecture), one of the constituent assets of the Mount Fuji World Heritage site. In order to investigate the situation, our reporting team visited the site.

On a weekend in late April, Oshino Hakkai—made up of eight ponds—was extremely crowded. More than 80% of visitors were foreign tourists: from Europe, Southeast Asia, South America, and elsewhere. The only things filling the air were multiple languages and the constant sound of camera shutters.

However, what stood out more than the crowd was the countless coins scattered across the bottom of Wak-ike Pond, the largest of the eight in terms of spring water output. A pond that should be crystal clear, fed by groundwater from Mount Fuji, no longer showed its former transparency. Instead, the coins reflected light irregularly, and corrosion seemed to have worsened water circulation, contributing to water pollution. In addition, some ponds were covered almost entirely by floating algae. A woman working at a nearby shop spoke with a tense expression:

“In the past few years, the algae have increased dramatically. In particular, Mirror Pond, known for its mirror-like surface, has become so overgrown that you can’t even see into it anymore. Recently, the coin-tossing behavior has been featured in an amusing way in media, so more people are copying it and things are getting worse day by day.”

As soon as the reporter looked into the pond, they witnessed a pair of foreign tourist siblings, probably elementary school age, throwing coins into Wak-ike. The mother likely did not know it was prohibited. She did not stop them, instead filming the coin-throwing scene, then clasped her hands together as if praying toward the pond.

Furthermore, when speaking with a European tourist group near the pond and asking, “Did you know coin throwing is prohibited here?”, they replied: “Not at all. I think everyone mistakes it for the Trevi Fountain in Rome, where you throw coins and make a wish.”

The deterioration of water quality at Oshino Hakkai has become an abnormal situation. When the Oshino Village Office was contacted for countermeasures, the following response was received:

“We are not conducting investigations regarding water pollution. We are currently running a crowdfunding campaign to install environmental conservation cooperation boxes.”

Will this popular scenic destination ever regain its original value?

From the May 15-22, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY”