Japanese businesses cheer as Mt. Fuji declared a world heritage site

The corporate sector in Japan is happy with the registering of Mt. Fuji as a World Heritage Site on June 6, 2013.

The mountain straddles Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures and has great cultural significance in Japan.

The country's 13th World Cultural Heritage site, Mt. Fuji is expected to boost economic activity in the country. It attracts many climbers and tourists.

In the first two weeks of July, 45 thousand people visited the 5th station of Mt. Fuji. They came from Europe, America and Asian countries such as India and Thailand.

Japanese companies like JCB, a major credit card firm, celebrated the registration of Mt. Fuji as a World Cultural Heritage Site by issuing a new credit card.

The company is currently running a campaign at the trailhead, introducing visitors to sign up for the credit card.

JCB will donate 1 Yen to 'Fujisan Fund' for each credit card spending made for one year to preserve Mt. Fuji.

"Fujisan Fund" has been utilized to maintain cleanliness by solving waste disposal problems at the mountain.

Reika Moriya, a representative of JCB, said: "The card has been getting good response because it attracts customers to contribute to preserve Mt. Fuji's nature and environment. The card's design - 36 views of Mt. Fuji by Hokusai Katsushika - is popular too."

Listing of Mt. Fuji as World Heritage site is a win-win situation for 'Water One', a bottled water brand managed by Gas One company.

For the last three years, Water One has been distributing spring water pumped from 203m underground at the foot of Mt. Fuji. The mountain generates water from snowmelt and rainwater.

The mildly alkaline water is rich in minerals, including four major elements - calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium.

The spring water is bottled and sold after going through a strong filtration system that removes impurities and bacteria.

The company uses soft plastic bottles, which are eco-friendly.

After the Great Eastern Japan earthquake, Water One received many inquiries as people in Japan were worried about the effects of radiation in tap water.

People are now looking for safe and clean drinking water.

Miho Kimura, a representative of Water One, said: "By the attention drawn to the mountain as a new World Heritage site, we are benefiting from growing interest in Mt. Fuji's water. We are committed to keeping our standard high to maintain the brand of Mt. Fuji."

About 1.8 million liters of 'Water One' mineral water is consumed in Japan every month.

The company is eyeing the possibility of overseas expansion while the mountain is attracting global attention.

Other companies in Japan too would like to cash in on the opportunity to reach out to the the world.