Growing obsession for moss in Japan

SAKUHO, Japan - Kaori Shibo bent her head down and peered through a magnifying glass in a forest in central Japan, emitting a delighted gasp. The object of her adoration? Moss.

"Oh, this baby's sporophyte is breaking out! I've never seen this before," Shibo, 41, shouted, her head nearly close enough to kiss a fallen tree log in the forest in Yatsugatake.

She was out with around 20 other people who are part of a growing community in Japan obsessed with plants known as bryophytes, including moss, liverworts and hornworts.