It all started one day when I was browsing through Pinterest and saw a picture of thousands of pink flowers with Mt. Fuji in the back. When I found out that it was in Japan, I immediately wanted to go if I ever got the chance. After doing some research, I learned that it was from the Fuji Shibazakura Matsuri, usually held between mid April until early June around the Fuji Five Lakes area. During this time, thousands of shibazakura of several varieties bloom, covering the ground with their pink, purple and white petals. This type of flower is also known as moss phlox and in addition to resembling sakura, it is also a creeper plant, covering large areas as if were a pink lawn thus the meaning behind its name is "lawn cherry" (shibazakura).
The best time to go to the festival is during the first couple of weeks during May. However, going during Golden Week is suicidal because of the sheer number of people that travel during that time. Since I was in Tokyo visiting my aunt, we decided to go on a Monday the week after Golden Week when it (hopefully) wouldn't be as crowded. There are highway buses that depart from multiple stations in Tokyo, but don't get tickets for the large stations such as Shibuya and Shinjuku. Those buses were packed as they came in. The bus ride from Tama Plaza to Kawaguchiko Station was empty-- there was only one other passenger other than the two of us and the driver! However, the bus ride from Kawaguchiko Station to the festival site was a lot longer. The thirty-minute ride tripled into an hour and a half! This was largely due to the fact that the road leading to the site only had one lane going in each direction. Add a dozen or so tour buses and other cars and you'll find yourself in a lovely traffic jam. It was definitely worth it though because my aunt and I were both blown away by the pink, purple and white carpet of flowers that covered the area with Mt. Fuji in the back :) Having a cool, sunny day didn't hurt either. This was definitely one of my top ten highlights while living in Japan! I hope you're all ready for lots of pictures of Mt. Fuji :)
Two Mt. Fujis!!! :)
There was a raised platform for people to get panoramic views of the entire area.
There w
From the top of the platform ^^
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful week!
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