The Yomiuri Shimbun
Three-meter-tall torches line a national highway in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Tuesday.

The traditional Yoshida no Himatsuri (Yoshida Fire Festival), marking the end of the summer climbing season on Mt. Fuji, was held on Tuesday in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture. Flames from about 110 large torches, each of them 3 meters tall, lined a national highway, glowing red and illuminating the late summer foothills.

The festival, an act of appeasement to ward off an eruption of Mt. Fuji, has a history of over 450 years and is designated an important intangible folk cultural property by the central government.

Around 6:30 p.m., as the approximately 2-kilometer line of torches was lit, tourists enjoyed the majestic scene.

AloJapan.com