The comedy4cast network. Let's dog ear that for now. This is comedy4cast, Episode 803, Picture-Perfect Problems. It's time once again for the Dog Days of Podcasting, a call for podcasters to try to put out a podcast every day in August. For more information and to hear all the shows, go to dogdaysofpodcasting.com. Here at the comedy4cast Studios, we've been working on a new format for this year's Dog Days. Sure, like in years past, there will be an actual odd news story, but that's not all.
So, let's get started with Odd News Plus. Here are our odd news stories for Sunday, August 11th, 2024. First up, Odd News Plus takes a look at your daily horoscope. If you're a Libra, the dreams you dream tonight may seem rather boring and pointless. But don't ignore them. Be sure to write them down. With the Olympics ending, Peacock is desperate for new content. Now let's get to our actual, for real, odd news story.
Majestic Mount Fuji, one of Japan's three holy mountains, and an ever-present icon of the island nation. Thousands of tourists flock to the mountain every year. And quite frankly, one town has had enough of it. It is well known that Fujikawaguchiko in the Yamanachi Prefecture has a picture-perfect view of Mount Fuji. And for years, increasing numbers of tourists have come to town to take those pictures. Lots of tourists.
Many of them leaving behind trash, ignoring traffic rules, and even trespassing onto private property in the process. A small convenience store named Lawson in Fujikawaguchiko is at the center of all of this. It seems that if you stand directly across the street and place the store at the bottom of your picture, majestic Mount Fuji appears to be sitting right on top of the single-story Lawson store, door, like some odd snow-capped ventilation system.
Once the image went viral, hordes of foreign tourists began flocking to this Kodak moment spot. Okay, Fujifilm moment spot, triggering a wave of concerns and complaints from residents. Fujikawaguchiko tried to politely encourage the tourists to behave. They posted signs in English, Chinese, Thai, and Korean, urging the visitors not to run into the road and to use the designated crosswalks. Then there was the security guard hired for crowd control. But nothing worked.
Tourists continued to gather, talking quite loudly, beginning around 4 or 5 a.m. It became difficult for some residents to simply get their car in and out of the garage. What to do? The town decided that if they couldn't make the tourists go away, they would need to make Mount Fuji disappear. I have to imagine that some high-profile magicians were contacted, but that a Vegas residency was a bit more lucrative.
In the end, a special black mesh net was erected across from the Lawson convenience store. Completed in May of this year, the mesh almost completely blocks the view of Mount Fuji. While it was a unique solution, requiring no one to be sawed in half, some townspeople had their doubts about the net. One resident said she She couldn't imagine how the black screen could help control the flow of people on the narrow pedestrian walk and the road next to it. And she appears to have been correct.
Less than a week after the screen was installed, local authorities reported that around 10 small openings had already been made in the barrier. This is exactly why we can't have nice things. That block views of nicer things. Authorities say they will now be attaching QR codes to the barrier, directing visitors to alternative photo spots nearby. But some tourists have already found another spot that offers a very similar view.
A different Lawson convenience store, just a kilometer away in front of the town government center in Fujikawaguchiko. Good luck with your new net. And finally, coming up next week on Odd News Plus, They're called mobile games, but they just sit there on our phones. Our consumer affairs reporter, Gabriela Ortiz, investigates. Then, back to school shopping. We'll explain what a pencil is and why your child might need one.
That about wraps it up for today's Odd News Plus. A big thanks to the comedy4cast patrons for helping make this show possible. Story, voices, and original music by Clinton Alvord. Copyright 2024. All rights reserved. Talk to you next time. But for now, that's it. We're done, done, done, done, done. Bye-bye. Music.