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[SUNRISE AT NAGAKUMO PASS ]
* Happy New Year! I hope you will enjoy this column as well
as the past year.
Did you make your first visit to a shrine
or temple? Or did you go somewhere to see the first sunrise of the
year?
* Life is a routine and eternal repetition of day and night. Though, don't you feel refreshed when you watch the rising sun in the early morning? As the proverb goes: the early bird catches the worm. I occasionally get up early and go up a nearby pass called Nagakumo-tohge. (Of course you need a car to get there.) The hilltop, which is known as Nature Observational Forest of Amami, overlooks Tatsugo Village and Bay, commanding an excellent scenic beauty. Tourists as well as islanders often visit there. Mid January you can enjoy watching Hikanzakura (Taiwan cherry) blossoms, too. Picture 1 You will be able to spot Kikai Island, unless the clouds cover the horizon like on this morning. But the sky is rosy with the glow of dawn. Picture 2 View from the same observation platform as Picture 1, but not the same day. The sun is just coming up on the right-hand side of Tachigami-rock at Akakina. Picture 3 The morning sunlight shines into the forest. Ryukyu robins often sing in a clear coloratura during these early hours. |
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