人與自然的鬥爭 富士山的盛名之傷

The words printed on the buses that drive through Kawaguchiko, a scenic town in the foothills of Japan’s tallest and most sacred mountain, were as reassuring as they were disconcerting: “Preserve the Nature of Mt. Fuji.”

河口湖鎮是一個風景秀麗的小鎮，位於日本最高、最神聖的山嶽的山麓。穿過這個小鎮的巴士上印着一句話：“保護富士山的自然特色。”這句話既令人安心，又讓人感到不安。

The message was a reminder that despite years of effort, the millions who visit the mountain and nearby towns each year and the plethora of businesses that serve them continue to have a profound impact on the environment, whether through mounting trash, poor air quality or suburban sprawl. Mount Fuji, or Fujisan as it’s known to the Japanese, is the nation’s most recognizable natural landmark, a conical volcano immortalized by artists like Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige. These days, the mountain, less than two hours from Tokyo, is a playground for rich and poor. Climbing the mountain is on many hikers’ bucket lists.

這是在提醒大家：儘管經過多年努力，每年前往富士山及其附近城鎮的數以百萬計的遊客，以及爲他們服務的多如牛毛的商家，仍在繼續對環境產生深遠的影響，具體表現在越積越多的垃圾、糟糕的空氣質量、無序擴張的郊區等方面。富士山（日本人稱之爲Fujisan）是日本最著名的自然地標，葛飾北齋(Katsushika Hokusai)和歌川廣重(Utagawa Hiroshige)等畫家對它的描繪，令這座圓錐形火山流芳千古。現如今，它成爲了窮人和富人的樂園，從東京到富士山的行程不到兩個小時。在很多遠足者的人生目標清單中，都有攀登富士山這一項。

But easy access to the mountain — drivers can park about halfway to the peak — has been a mixed blessing. Last year, nearly 320,000 people made the climb, yet 25 died trying. Illegally dumped garbage fills the forests. Traffic chokes surrounding roads and paths to the peak. Big events like the jazz festival at Kawaguchiko draw thousands of fans.

但是，富士山方便的交通狀況（駕車可直達半山腰）令人喜憂參半。去年，將近32萬人攀登了富士山，有25人死於登山途中。樹林中密佈着非法丟棄的垃圾。周邊道路和前往山頂的通道時常出現交通擁堵。河口湖鎮舉辦的盛會，比如爵士音樂節等，吸引了數以千計的粉絲。

Countermeasures have been taken. Low-waste toilets have been installed on the mountain, and tens of thousands of volunteers haul away tons of trash every year. Hybrid buses shuttle visitors to trailheads. This summer, climbers were asked to contribute a fee to help preserve the environment. But the measures will do only so much because the parade of visitors is likely to continue, especially now that Mount Fuji has been added to Unesco’s World Heritage list as a cultural asset (the 13th in Japan) for inspiring artists, poets and religious pilgrims.

人們已經採取了一些對策。山上安裝了環保廁所，數以萬計的志願者每年運走成噸垃圾。在步行道的起點處，有混合動力公交車接送遊客。今年夏天，登山者被要求繳納一定的費用，以幫助保護富士山的環境。但是，這些措施的效果也是有限的，因爲遊客很可能還是會絡繹不絕地前來，尤其是現在，富士山作爲激發藝術家、詩人和宗教朝聖者靈感的源泉，被列入了聯合國教科文組織(Unesco)的世界文化遺產名錄（它是日本的第13個文化遺產）。

Hearts swelled in Japan after the June 22 designation was announced. The question is whether it will draw so many more visitors that the qualities that made Mount Fuji a cultural asset in the first place will be diminished.

6月22日，富士山被列入世界文化遺產的消息宣佈後，日本人倍感驕傲。現在的問題是，富士山是否會吸引太多的遊客，進而減損那些讓它成爲文化遺產的特質。

Mount Fuji is bracing for a big jump. Other heritage sites in Japan including Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture, Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture and Yakushima Island in southern Japan all saw an increase in visitors after they joined the list in recent years.

富士山將迎來人數驟增的遊客。日本的其他世界遺產，比如巖手縣的平泉，岐阜縣的白川鄉，日本南部的屋久島，近年來申遺成功後，都出現了遊客增加的現象。

Seiichi Kondo, Japan’s Commissioner of the Agency for Cultural Affairs and a former ambassador to Unesco, said that more visitors are expected to visit Fuji, but that regulations may be strengthened to offset any degradation. “After all, the main objective of the inscription of particular sites on the list is to mobilize international efforts to protect them from various dangers, such as military conflicts, development and tourism,” he wrote in an e-mail.

日本文化廳長官近藤誠一(Seiichi Kondo)曾擔任日本駐教科文組織大使，他認爲參觀富士山的遊客會越來越多，但管理部門可能會強化法規，防止富士山出現退化現象。“畢竟，申請成爲世界遺產的主要目的，就是動員國際社會的力量，保護遺產免遭各種危害，比如軍事衝突、經濟發展和旅遊業帶來的危害，”他在一封電子郵件中寫道。

Mr. Kondo said the number of tourists has risen 15 percent so far this year — indicative of the Japanese view that the mountain is “a special symbol of nature and their identity.” According to other estimates, the number of visitors could double in the coming years. In the first 10 days of July alone, the number of hikers who passed the Yoshida Gate — a popular path to the peak — jumped 50 percent over the same period last year. Hikers were asked to bring portable toilet kits because the influx of visitors is overwhelming available infrastructure.

近藤誠一說，今年迄今爲止，遊客人數增加了15%，說明日本人認爲富士山是“自然和他們的身份的一個特殊象徵”。根據其他機構的估計，遊客數量可能會在未來幾年內增加一倍。僅僅是7月上旬，通過吉田口（一條很受歡迎的登山路徑的入口）的人數就比去年同期躍升50%。由於遊客大批涌入，現有基礎設施不堪重負，管理部門已經要求遠足者自帶便攜式廁所包。

Officials had tried on and off for 20 years to have Mount Fuji named a World Heritage site, and its inscription was front page news in June, when my wife and I visited Japan. Eager to see the celebration, we rode two hours by train to Kawaguchiko, a town 10 miles from the mountain.

日本官員前前後後努力了20年，才讓富士山進入世界遺產名錄。今年6月，我和妻子前往日本的時候，申遺成功的消息成爲日本的頭版新聞。我們很希望看到相關的慶祝活動，於是坐了兩個小時的火車，到達離富士山10英里遠的河口湖鎮。

When we arrived at the small station, we knew instantly that many others had the same idea. After we boarded the Retro Bus that circles the town, our driver warned us that traffic would delay our trip. We crawled past gas stations, car dealers, fast-food joints and shops like Fujiyama Cookie.

抵達這個小火車站的時候，我們馬上發現，許多人抱有同樣想法。登上環遊小鎮的復古大巴後，司機提醒我們，堵車會延誤我們的行程。果然，我們以龜速經過了沿途的加油站、汽車行、快餐店和富士山餅乾(Fujiyama Cookie)等特產店。

We got off at the Natural Living Center, where a guard was directing buses in and out of the parking lot. Nearby, vendors sold vegetables, fruit and crafts. The lakeshore gardens were pleasant though Mount Fuji’s peak was obscured by thick clouds. As we walked among hundreds of photo-snapping tourists, our search for a view had little of the poetic resonance that Japan’s Unesco bid suggested. So we rode the bus to the Kachi Kachi Yama Ropeway and took a cable car more than 3,000 feet to the top of the mountain. There, the whistling wind mixed with the sound of revving motorcycles below. But at least we could imagine what the mountain looked like.

我們在自然生活館(Natural Living Center)下了車，一名保安在停車場指揮大巴進進出出。不遠處，小商販在兜售蔬果和手工藝品。湖畔的花園景色怡人，不過厚厚的雲層遮住了富士山頂。我們與成百上千拍照留念的遊客一道前行，看到的景色實在不能讓人想到日本申請將其列入教科文組織名錄時描繪的那種詩情畫意。於是，我們乘坐大巴上到噼啪山索道(Kachi Kachi Yama Ropeway)，在距山頂3000多英尺（約合915米）處登上纜車。在那裏，呼嘯的風聲夾雜着下面摩托車的轟鳴聲。不過至少，我們可以想象出富士山曾經的景象。

Politicians, environmentalists, local police and residents have worked for years to find a formula that preserves access to the mountain without undermining tourism. Solutions have been hard to find because there are so many stakeholders. Mount Fuji is in a national park, straddles two prefectures and is surrounded by five lakes and many towns, including Kawaguchiko. Volunteer groups have led the effort to remove the trash dumped near Mount Fuji. According to the Fujisan Club, a nonprofit group, volunteers hauled away 77 tons of garbage in the fiscal year that ended March 2013.

多年來，政界人士、環保人士、當地警方和居民都在努力尋找良方，希望在不損害旅遊業的前提下限制上山人數。由於牽扯的利益方太多，很難找到解決之道。富士山是座國家公園，橫跨兩個縣，周邊有五個湖泊和諸多城鎮，河口湖是其中之一。有志願組織牽頭清除傾倒在富士山附近的垃圾。非營利機構富士山俱樂部(Fujisan Club)表示，在今年3月結束的財年裏，志願者拉走了77噸的垃圾。

“There is no way to stop people from coming to the Fuji Five Lakes area, so it’s a difficult problem,” said Shomei Yokouchi, the governor of Yamanashi Prefecture.

山梨縣知事橫內正明(Shomei Yokouchi)說，“不可能阻止大家來富士五湖地區，所以問題很棘手。”

Heita Kawakatsu, the governor of Shizuoka Prefecture, which also borders the mountain, said there are plenty of inns and restaurants to accommodate a rise in visitors. He is more concerned about a surge in the number of hikers, and favored shutting the mountain during the winter for safety reasons. “We must observe the capacity for climbers and the balance between recreation and the object of art,” the governor said.

靜岡縣同樣毗鄰富士山，該縣知事川勝平太(Heita Kawakatsu)稱，旅店和餐廳數量充足，足以應對遊客人數的上升。他更擔心的是登山客的人數激增，並傾向於出於安全考慮在冬季封山。他說，“我們必須關注登山客接待量的問題，在休閒和文化之間尋求平衡。”

Mr. Yokouchi of Yamanashi Prefecture opposed the winter ban because serious climbers still need to train in the winter and because the cottages on the mountain would suffer.

山梨縣知事橫內正明反對冬季封山，因爲職業登山者冬季也需要訓練，而且封山會影響山上鄉村旅店的生意。

For better or worse, Mount Fuji is so popular and easy to reach that it is nearly impossible to cordon off. The climb is not technical, but it is deceptively arduous. The trails are rocky and often crowded, the weather can change rapidly and even for climbers in good shape, 12,400 feet is a long way to go. Each year people are hurt or die from hypothermia, heart attacks and falls.

不管怎樣，富士山太受歡迎，又容易抵達，幾乎不可能封鎖。攀登富士山技術上並不難，這讓登山客往往忽視了它的危險。路途崎嶇、人滿爲患、天氣多變，就算是身體狀況良好的登山客，爬1.24萬英尺也很艱鉅。每年都有人因體溫過低、心肌梗塞和墜崖而受傷或死亡。

To help pay for preservation efforts, climbers during a 10-day stretch this summer were asked to donate 1,000 yen ($10.75). If the fee is made permanent, millions of dollars could potentially be raised.

爲了資助保護富士山的努力，今年夏天參與一項10天攀爬活動的登山客被要求捐出1000日元（約合60元人民幣）。如果變成永久性收費，有可能籌集數百萬美元。

Keisuke Tanaka, head of the Whole Earth Nature School, which runs eco tours of the mountain, said that the donations should be used to improve trails and toilets and add waste treatment facilities and multilingual signs. The government, he said, should control the number of visitors.

全球自然學校(Whole Earth Nature School)是一家經營富士山生態旅遊活動的機構，主管田中啓介(Keisuke Tanaka)認爲，捐款將應用於改善山道和如廁條件，並增添垃圾處理設施和多語言標識。他稱，政府應控制遊客人數。

To that end, new guidelines for climbers who scale Mount Fuji out of season were introduced in July. Hikers will have to submit their plans in writing and carry the proper equipment. With more visitors expected, the world will be watching to see if these and other measures work.

爲了達到這一目的，今年7月推出了針對反季節登山客的新指南。其中規定，登山者必須以書面形式提交登山計劃，並攜帶適當的裝備。預計將有更多的遊客來到富士山，這些措施是否奏效，全世界都將拭目以待。

“More people than ever will come,” said Shigeru Horiuchi, the mayor of Fujiyoshida City. “How we protect the natural environment and how we limit tourists and climbers are the biggest challenges.”

富士吉田市市長堀內茂(Shigeru Horiuchi)說，“將要到來的人數會超過以往任何時候。如何保護自然環境、如何限制遊客和登山客的人數，這些是最大的挑戰。”