Photo/Illutration Mount Fuji is encircled by two rainbows. (Provided by Mio Watanabe)

YAMANAKAKO, Yamanashi Prefecture—Mio Watanabe takes photographs of Mount Fuji every day with a smartphone to capture the changing face of the 3,776-meter peak.

Her stunning shots have increased the number of followers of the Yamanakako Tourist Association’s Instagram account from about 1,000 to more than 10,000.

“I may be able to come across miracles because I take photos every day,” said Watanabe, 35, who has been in charge of social media at the association since 2021.

Watanabe trains her iPhone at the nation’s tallest mountain at daybreak all year round.

In summer, the rugged summit glows red in the rising sun. In winter, the snow-covered mountain turns crimson as it reflects the morning light.

In spring and autumn, the peak often rises above a sea of clouds surrounded by rays of sunlight, offering the most fantastical images of the day, Watanabe said.

Around 4:20 a.m. one summer day, Watanabe encountered a view of Mount Fuji that she had never seen before.

The burning-red mountain was encircled by two rainbows, and its mirror image was reflected on the surface of Lake Yamanakako at the foot of the mountain.

Her striking photograph received more than 150 responses from within Japan and abroad when she posted it on Instagram. One fan described the shot as “Amazing!”

Watanabe is not a professional photographer, and photography was not even her hobby. She does not own a single-lens reflex camera.

“Mount Fuji changes its expressions in an instant,” she said. “Smartphones are well suited because you can just pull them out right away.”

Watanabe has taken more than 1,000 photos. She said no two images look the same.

She spends 10 minutes or so taking photos in the morning while doing housework.

Watanabe also goes out and takes photos during office hours if she expects an unusual shot.

On Feb. 1, 2021, she dashed out of her office when she noticed the clouds forming unfamiliar shapes on a live-camera website and captured Mount Fuji covered by three cap clouds, along with iridescent clouds.

On Feb. 23, 2022, she climbed a nearby mountain, hoping to take a photograph of “Diamond Fuji,” with the setting sun aligned with the summit.

A rainbow-color light appeared behind the mountain, believed to be a rare phenomenon known as a parhelion, caused by the refraction of light through ice crystals in high clouds.

“With a smartphone, you can take photographs without special techniques,” Watanabe said. “I hope people will come to Lake Yamanakako and meet with a magical Mount Fuji.”

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