Thousands of ornamental dolls have been put on display in the Japanese city of Katsuura, near Tokyo, ahead of the traditional Girls' Festival. The event will be held on March 3.
The Katsuura Big Hinamatsuri, or Dolls' Festival, is being held for the first time in four years. It was cancelled, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The event features about 7,000 "hina" dolls that are no longer being used by families. The dolls were collected from all over Japan.
The main venue is a shrine in central Katsuura. Hundreds of dolls have been placed on the red-carpeted steps that lead up to the shrine.
Dolls are also on display at stores throughout the city. Many people are going to the sites to take photographs.
A woman from out of town said she had never seen so many dolls on such a high platform. She said the view is breathtaking.
An official from the city's tourism department expressed relief that the festival is finally taking place. He said he hopes people will appreciate the amount of work that went into planning the event.
The festival will run through Friday.