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The comedy4cast network. Let's dog ear that for now.

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This is comedy4cast, Episode 803, Picture-Perfect Problems.

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It's time once again for the Dog Days of Podcasting, a call for podcasters to

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try to put out a podcast every day in August.

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For more information and to hear all the shows, go to dogdaysofpodcasting.com.

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Here at the comedy4cast Studios, we've been working on a new format for this year's Dog Days.

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Sure, like in years past, there will be an actual odd news story, but that's not all.

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So, let's get started with Odd News Plus.

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Here are our odd news stories for Sunday, August 11th, 2024.

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First up, Odd News Plus takes a look at your daily horoscope.

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If you're a Libra, the dreams you dream tonight may seem rather boring and pointless.

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But don't ignore them. Be sure to write them down.

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With the Olympics ending, Peacock is desperate for new content.

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Now let's get to our actual, for real, odd news story.

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Majestic Mount Fuji, one of Japan's three holy mountains, and an ever-present

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icon of the island nation.

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Thousands of tourists flock to the mountain every year.

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And quite frankly, one town has had enough of it.

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It is well known that Fujikawaguchiko in the Yamanachi Prefecture has a picture-perfect view of Mount Fuji.

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And for years, increasing numbers of tourists have come to town to take those

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pictures. Lots of tourists.

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Many of them leaving behind trash, ignoring traffic rules, and even trespassing

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onto private property in the process.

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A small convenience store named Lawson in Fujikawaguchiko is at the center of all of this.

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It seems that if you stand directly across the street and place the store at

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the bottom of your picture,

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majestic Mount Fuji appears to be sitting right on top of the single-story Lawson

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store, door, like some odd snow-capped ventilation system.

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Once the image went viral, hordes of foreign tourists began flocking to this Kodak moment spot.

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Okay, Fujifilm moment spot, triggering a wave of concerns and complaints from residents.

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Fujikawaguchiko tried to politely encourage the tourists to behave.

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They posted signs in English, Chinese, Thai, and Korean, urging the visitors

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not to run into the road and to use the designated crosswalks.

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Then there was the security guard hired for crowd control.

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But nothing worked.

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Tourists continued to gather, talking quite loudly, beginning around 4 or 5 a.m.

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It became difficult for some residents to simply get their car in and out of the garage.

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What to do? The town decided that if they couldn't make the tourists go away,

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they would need to make Mount Fuji disappear.

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I have to imagine that some high-profile magicians were contacted,

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but that a Vegas residency was a bit more lucrative.

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In the end, a special black mesh net was erected across from the Lawson convenience store.

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Completed in May of this year, the mesh almost completely blocks the view of Mount Fuji.

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While it was a unique solution, requiring no one to be sawed in half,

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some townspeople had their doubts about the net.

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One resident said she She couldn't imagine how the black screen could help control

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the flow of people on the narrow pedestrian walk and the road next to it.

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And she appears to have been correct.

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Less than a week after the screen was installed, local authorities reported

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that around 10 small openings had already been made in the barrier.

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This is exactly why we can't have nice things. That block views of nicer things.

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Authorities say they will now be attaching QR codes to the barrier,

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directing visitors to alternative photo spots nearby. But some tourists have

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already found another spot that offers a very similar view.

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A different Lawson convenience store, just a kilometer away in front of the

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town government center in Fujikawaguchiko.

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Good luck with your new net. And finally, coming up next week on Odd News Plus,

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They're called mobile games, but they just sit there on our phones.

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Our consumer affairs reporter, Gabriela Ortiz, investigates.

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Then, back to school shopping. We'll explain what a pencil is and why your child might need one.

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That about wraps it up for today's Odd News Plus. A big thanks to the 

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comedy4cast patrons for helping make this show possible.

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Story, voices, and original music by Clinton Alvord. Copyright 2024.

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All rights reserved. Talk to you next time. But for now, that's it.

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We're done, done, done, done, done. Bye-bye.

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Music.