Following complaints from local residents, the Fujikawaguchiko town government decided to set up the screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of the beautiful mountain looming behind a convenience store.

A huge black screen to block the view of Mount Fuji will be installed in a popular photo spot by Japanese authorities fed up with crowds of badly behaved foreign tourists.

Following complaints from local residents, the Fujikawaguchiko town government decided to set up the screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of the beautiful mountain looming behind a convenience store.

Construction of the mesh net – 2.5 metres (8 feet) high and the length of a cricket pitch at 20 metres – will begin as early as next week, an official from the town said on Friday.

“It’s regrettable we have to do this, because of some tourists who can’t respect rules,” leaving litter behind and ignoring traffic regulations, the official told the AFP news agency.

It is the latest direct action in Japan against overtourism after residents of Kyoto’s geisha district banned visitors from small private alleys this year.

Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain, can be photographed from many spots in the resort town of Fujikawaguchiko.

According to officials in the Fujikawaguchiko, the Mount Fuji-viewing spot has been swamped by travellers including many foreigners in recent years, with dozens of outsiders always there to snap photos.

This viewpoint is particularly popular because the majestic volcano appears behind a Lawson convenience store, which is ubiquitous in Japan.

The town official who declined to be named said that due to this visual juxtaposition, “a reputation has spread on social media that this spot is very Japanese, making it a popular photo location.”

The mostly non-Japanese tourists are overcrowding a stretch of pavement next to the Lawson shop, he said.

Locals complain that the tourists litter, smoke, occupy the sidewalk, and park illegally. Some even climb on the roof of a nearby dental clinic to get the perfect shot or sell things on its property.

After traffic signs and repeated warnings from security guards were ignored, the town in Yamanashi region decided on the huge screen as a last resort.

The measure is also meant to protect the nearby dental clinic against the onslaught of tourists, who sometimes park there without permission, the official said.

The town wishes it hadn’t come down to this, he said, adding that the current plan is for the screen to be maintained until the situation improves.

Record numbers of overseas tourists are travelling to Japan, where monthly visitors exceeded three million in March for the first time ever.

Tourism in the country has been booming since pandemic-era border restrictions were lifted, and the government has been working hard to boost visitor numbers.

But this has not been universally welcomed – including in Kyoto where locals have complained of snap-happy tourists harassing the city’s immaculately dressed geisha.

This summer, hikers using the most popular route to climb Mount Fuji will be charged ¥2,000 each (£10.50, $13.35, A$20.50), with numbers capped to ease congestion.