Mt. Fuji & Yamanakako before Dawn

The silent world of Lake Yamanaka before sunrise

Meg Sing Jun 02, 2016 - 1 min read

The mass of the mountain seems impossibly huge against the dim sky

It is still calm across the lake surface, perfect conditions for reflecting Mt. Fuji (known as "Sakasa Fuji" or Upside-down Fuji)

A swan mills around the lakeshore as Mt. Fuji covers itself modestly with a few clouds

Darkest before dawn, a blanket of clouds hangs low over the lake at around 4:00 am

When no one is awake yet, there are hardly any signs of activity of life...

In mere minutes before sunrise at 4:31am, clouds blew over and hid the entirety of the majestic mountain

A swan skids across the water, breaking the surface of the lake

In addition to low-hanging clouds, mist and morning fog cling to the banks of the lake

The swans at Lake Yamanakako seemed most active around dawn, preening feathers, bleating or diving for food

Lake Yamanakako shows a different personality when we are all asleep

Small details are beautiful. Soft moss grows on the side of the wooden railing

Intricate spiderwebs and droplets of morning dew form tiny beads of glassy water

The glassy surface of the lake blurs the horizon in the distance, making it hard to distinguish sky and water

The first rays of light illuminate the fringe of clouds over the lake

Sunlight touches Lake Yamanakako, seemingly bringing it to life as cars zip along the roads and shopfronts begin to open

Despite life around the lake getting up and running, Mt. Fuji refuses to come out and play

After the previous day of thick clouds and intermittent rain, I dragged myself out of warm blankets in the middle of the night in the hopes of catching the magical moment of Mt. Fuji at sunrise (4:31 am). Hardly any other humans were up and about, yet swans were exercising full monopoly over the lake, hawks and egrets flew overhead and carp swished around in the shallower areas of the lake. Water on the lake is calmest before the sun rises and the wind picks up. With the wind and water so still, it was the perfect environment to get in tune with the world of nature. While clouds unfortunately obscured the mighty mountain at the last minute, seeing a different side of beautiful Lake Yamanaka on this May morning made it worth the early start.

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Find out more about Lake Yamanaka.

Things to Do in Yamanashi

Meg Sing @meg.sing

The language intrigues me and as well as Japan's personality, vividly different in each season in the year. Having previously lived in Tokyo for a year, I've developed a weakness for onsen, Mt. Fuji, autumn leaves, the festivals and Japanese stationery. More than trying my hand at photography, I...