Coin-tossing tourists wreak eco-havoc at Japan heritage site
- Despite warnings, visitors continue with ‘good luck’ practice, piled-up coinage poses threat to plant life
Tourists throwing so-called good luck coins into a pond has created an ecological threat to a natural heritage site in Japan.
Oshino Hakkai is a group of eight springs in Yamanashi prefecture in central Japan formed by water from Mount Fuji. It is regarded as a natural wonder and was listed as a World Heritage site in 2013.
Despite signs written in four languages – Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean – warning tourists not to throw coins into the ponds, there are many piled up in the water.
A diver, surnamed Sakamoto, who has been voluntarily removing the money for years, told Japanese media outlet Fuji News Network that some piles are as high as one metre.
After the coins are thrown into the water they mix with the mud at the bottom of the pond, and it is extremely difficult to clear them out, Sakamoto said.
