Many Japanese celebrated the start of the Reiwa Era on Wednesday with their family, friends and loved ones — some with newborn babies — as Shinto shrines and popular spots across the country were crowded with visitors keen to take in the festive atmosphere.

About 1,500 people gather in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, to form the characters of Reiwa, the name of the new imperial era that started Wednesday. The name was drawn from an introduction to poems in
About 1,500 people gather in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, to form the characters of Reiwa, the name of the new imperial era that started Wednesday. The name was drawn from an introduction to poems in 'Manyoshu,' the oldest existing anthology of Japanese poetry, which referenced a flower-viewing party held by poet Otomo no Tabito (665-731) in Dazaifu. | KYODO

Some 1,500 residents lined up to form a human representation of the two Chinese characters for Reiwa in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, where a plum-blossom viewing that inspired the era name took place in the eighth century. It took more than an hour for them to form the characters, each of which measured 30 meters by 30 meters.