The town is known for its iconic view of the mountain, but tourists taking over have caused issues with complaints of jaywalking, littering and overcrowding near a convenience store which has been named Mt. Fuji Lawson.

Last month, officials confirmed plans to block the view of the mountain to control foot traffic, and that has become a reality this week.

A screen has been put up in a bid to make things safer, quieter and cleaner for everyone.

Kazuhiko Iwama, whose home is opposite the store and gives him a great view of the mountain, told BBC News: "I see it every day from my window, so I really don’t have much to say about it. I guess I take it for granted.”

Having lived in Fuji Kawaguchiko his whole life, Iwama, 65, admitted his issue with tourists is simply when they don't follow the rules.

He added: "They cross the street and they don't seem to care about the cars at all, it is dangerous. And they leave trash and cigarette butts everywhere."

Local officials had already tried putting up road signs in different languages to keep people out of the road, but they had to resort to more drastic measures.

One official said: "It's regrettable we have to do this because of some tourists who can't respect rules."

Another local, 73-year-old Kikue Katsumata, admitted she could sympathise with both sides of the argument, with people travelling from around the world to see the iconic view.

She said: "I feel sad for those tourists who come all the way to see the view and take pictures, but traffic here is quite heavy, and we are all very concerned about accidents.”