Questão 31 - FMJ Prova 2 2025

(www.bbc.co.uk, 31.05.2024.)

 

 A group of tourists wheel their bulky luggage through the crowds in search of the perfect shot. They gather on a pavement opposite a convenience store — but this is no ordinary store. Rising behind it is Japan’s highest mountain top, the majestic Mount Fuji. The snowy peak of 3,776 meters forms a stunning background for those in search of their next favourite selfie or instagrammable moment. The visitors got what they wanted — and just in time.

 Fast forward a few weeks, to today, and that view is gone. The once-busy vantage point — the pavement — is now behind a black mesh screen1. The barrier is the result of a chorus of complaints from locals, who say their lives have been disrupted by tourists who dirty the streets and disobey traffic rules.

 The picturesque town of Fuji Kawaguchiko has been feeling the impact of a rise in tourism — driven up by a weak yen and a post-pandemic travel boom. The screen is a desperate move and a sign of Japan’s struggle to accommodate this many visitors while protecting its streets, its famous spots and its particular way of living.

 But if the screen is meant to keep people away, it isn’t doing that — yet. Visitors wonder how effective it will be: “It may work for a few days. But I’m sure someone will make a hole [in it] and take a picture at some point,” says Yuri Vavilin, a tourist from Kazakhstan. He is disappointed he missed the crucial shot but he says he shall return and try from either end of the screen.

 This dedication is surprising to 65-year-old Kazuhiko Iwama, who has lived his entire life in Fuji Kawaguchiko. His house sits opposite the convenience store, with its famous blue sign that says ‘Lawson’. “I see it every day from my window, so I really don’t have much to say about it,” he says, looking at the volcano that draws tourists from around the world. “I guess I take it for granted.”

(Shaimaa Khalil. www.bbc.com, 21.05.2024. Adaptado.)

¹mesh screen: uma tela com espaços, como uma malha.

The purpose of the text is to