On a cloudy morning in August, a couple in wedding attire posed outside a Lawson outlet, in hopes of replicating a photo — taken at the same spot with both the convenience store and Mount Fuji in the background — that went viral last year.
The scene served as an oddly poignant reminder that in today’s age of social media, the journey often follows the photo, not the other way around.
The couple is among a flood of foreign tourists attracted to Lawson’s branch at Kawaguchiko Station in the town of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture — one of Japan’s unlikeliest tourist landmarks. But the viral view has brought chaos along with visitors.
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