Crowds visit 'sea of flowers' at foot of Mount Fuji

People flocked to the foothills of Mount Fuji, which are covered in a vibrant pink blanket. The effect is thanks to about 500,000 low-growing moss phlox plants. Their Japanese name "shibazakura" translates as "cherry blossoms on the ground."

Since April 11, the Fuji Shibazakura Festival is being held in Fujikawaguchiko, where visitors take photos of the brilliant flowers against the snow-capped Mount Fuji. The manager of the tourism facility hosting the festival said he wants visitors to enjoy the interplay between the mountain and the blossoms, and also a photo op using a boat where visitors can sit so they look like they are rowing through a sea of flowers.