Nagano

World Above the Clouds

The sea of clouds seen from Mount Kirigamine

Takako Sakamoto Mar 19, 2015 - 1 min read

<p>The eastern sky was tinged with red and I could see the Kita-Yatsugatake ropeway</p>

<p>I reached the parking lot in Fujimi-dai on the Kurumayama Highland</p>

<p>The mountain surface glowed in blue and little by little the red color drained from the sky</p>

<p>A magnificent sea of clouds spread before me!</p>

<p>Since the weather was deteriorating, the sky was hazy</p>

<p>Unfortunately, Mount Fuji was covered with clouds and couldn't be seen!</p>

<p>While I was looking at the faraway mountains, a sea of clouds closed in on my feet</p>

<p>I just stood there, mesmerized by the sea of clouds surrounding me!</p>

On April 20th in 2012, I visited Shinshu region (Nagano prefecture) searching for the belated arrival of spring. In my neighborhood, cherry blossom season was almost over, but here in the mountains snow had just begun to melt!

I drove along the Venus Line, which had just opened through Kurumayama Highland, and reached Fujimidai on Mount Kirigamine. My goal on this visit was to see distant Mount Fuji floating in a sea of clouds. To my dismay, Mount Fuji was totally covered with cloud and couldn't be seen. Still, I was able to appreciate the gigantic white sea of clouds surrounding me. Speechless, I stood there looking at this divine, mysterious sight for a long time.

Shinshu in Spring

Takako Sakamoto @takako.sakamoto

I was born in and grew up in Tokushima prefecture, and have lived in many places since then: Nishinomiya, Kyoto, Nara, Mie, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Fukuoka and Fukui. I am currently living in Yokohama City. All the places I lived, all the places I visited, I have loved dearly. The histor...