Mount Fuji is probably one of Japan’s most iconic landmarks. The mountain can be viewed from afar on a clear day and it is also one of the more popular mountains for hikers to trek up to. That being said, it seems that the Japanese government is hoping that the mountain’s beauty and existence will be spread more through social media.
So much so that according to a report from Asahi Shimbun, WiFi hotspots will be installed throughout the mountain. This is thanks to the efforts of local Japanese carrier NTT Telecom who will be working together with the prefectures of Yamanashi and Shizuoka where about eight WiFi hotspots will be installed.
To help create awareness of the WiFi hotspots, they will also be planning to hand out as many as 70,000 brochures to hikers to provide them with login instructions on how to use the WiFi. Of course while the WiFi will come in handy to help hikers upload their mountain selfies and share their experience on social media there and then, it will have more practical purposes.
For example hikers can use the WiFi to check on the weather and obtain climate information to help plan their routes. It can also be used to call out for help, like sending their location data to help and rescue services, and so on. However it seems that this won’t be a permanent installation as it will last until September, with WiFi only available for the first 72 hours from the first login.
[Image credit – Emran Kassim]