People are flocking to the town of Kiyosato in Japan’s northernmost Hokkaido Prefecture to see thousands of cherry salmon attempt to scale a waterfall.
The fish swim up the Sharigawa River from the Sea of Okhotsk at this time of year to lay their eggs. The journey includes a three-meter waterfall called Sakuranotaki.
The local tourist association says only about 10 percent of the fish successfully leap to the top. The others spawn at the base, or downstream.
The waterfall attracts about 25,000 people every year.
A man from Kitami City in Hokkaido visited for the first time. He described feeling overwhelmed by the spectacle, and said he’s glad he came.
A man visiting from Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo said he admires the perseverance of the fish.
The leaping cherry salmon can be viewed through August.