Lovely Mt. Fuji on a spring day

We were warned early on that despite the long trip, we may or may not see Mt. Fuji. We could, however, try to go.

And we did. And were we glad we did! For on that spring day in April, the iconic snow-capped Mt. Fuji was visible from the road we took from Tokyo to get to Motosuko, about a two-hour ride.

It turned out to be the best time to go since the Fuji Shibazakura Festival had just started. It's a flower festival, and the star of the show is the pink shibazakura.

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Blooming from mid-April to late May, shibazakura (moss phlox) would cover the ground like a pink carpet, and they look like pretty sakura (cherry blossoms).

The best place to go for a view of Mt. Fuji and shibazakura is the Fuji Motosuko Resort, a 2.4-hectare field near Lake Motosuko, one of the five lakes surrounding the iconic volcano. Here, about 800,000 shibazakura are poised to bloom. When we went in late April, it was not yet full bloom time, but it should be so this month.

Tourists, local and foreign, troop to this place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to view the different varieties of shibazakura and Mt. Fuji too. Go ahead, take lots of pictures, and do that jump shot to your heart's delight!

After going around and taking tons of photos, check out the food festival for freshly cooked chestnuts, delicious strawberry rice cakes, pretty yummy pink mochi, and the sweetest sweet potatoes you'll ever have. — LA, GMA News

Entrance fee to the Fuji Motosuko Resort is 600 yen for adults and 250 yen for children. Parking is available. The Fuji Shibazakura Festival started April 14 and will end on May 27, 2018. You can ride a bus from Shinjuku in Tokyo to Motosuko.