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Couldn’t see Diamond Fuji, unfortunately.

夕日
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“Diamond Fuji” is a special event when the sun sets right above Mt. Fuji. The end results looks very much like a shining diamond.
We can observe Diamond Fuji from the summit of Mt.Takao around the winter solstice in December.

I went to the top of the mountain on December 20th because I wanted to take a picture of Diamond Fuji, but unfortunately I couldn’t see it.
The clouds were thick and obscured Mt. Fuji from view, one could not even make out the outline of Fuji.
Since it is not always possible to see Mt. Fuji sometimes timing the right Diamond Fuji can be difficult.

Although I did not see it, I would like to explain the situation at the summit during the Diamond Fuji season.

I arrived at the summit around 3:30pm.
The time when Diamond Fuji can be seen is said to be between 4:00 and 4:30pm, so I tried to come a little before then.
I had a bad feeling that the clouds would not be good, but decided to try my luck all the same.

By the time I arrived at the summit, many people were already on standby.
Immediately after Diamond it becomes dark, so there were police officers on the summit too for safety reasons.
Most shops are closed, supper time is over is over and there are barely any drinks left.

When listening to the conversations of the people waiting for Diamond Fuji, it seems that they have come from a very early time to get a good spot on the lookout. If you ask are around some people will proudly their Diamond Fuji photos they took in the past, so it’s safe to  say that many come every year.

Photographers standby on the observatory.
From a different angle. Tripods are lined up.

Around 4 o’clock, the sun began to set, however the clouds did not move at all, and Mt. Fuji remained obscured.

Mt. Fuji is completely obscured from view.
If there are no clouds, one can see Mt. Fuji quite clearly
However this time the sunset is hidden behind the clouds.

At this point in the evening, everyone gave up.

Most people gave up shooting.

Many people put their cameras away and began the trek back home.
However, some people still refused to give up and continuing to stare into the west.

Some people stay behind in the dark.

Yet the sunset was still very beautiful. The fading sun has dyed area on the right side of Mt. Fuji orange.

At 4:50pm the sun has already set.

Unfortunately this time I couldn’t see it, but I would like to try again.
There seems to be some people who haven’t seen for the last two days, and much of the experience depends on luck of the draw.

By the way, the summit gets very cold.
I wore a fleece when I climbed that day, but after I arrived at the top, I changed into a down jacket.
Please take the appropriate measures against the cold so that you can enjoy Diamond Fuji warmly.

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