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Right now is the very best time to go to Japan’s “castle in the sky,” and here’s why【Pics, Vids】

Casey Baseel Nov 10, 2016
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The conditions are just right to surround Takeda Castle with a sea of clouds.

There’s really never a bad time to visit the ruins of Takeda Castle. A frequent entry on lists of Japan’s best castles, the 353-meter (1,158-foot) altitude of the mountaintop site, located in the city of Asago in Hyogo Prefecture, provides it with breathtaking views of the surrounding terrain.

But perhaps the best time to visit is right now, and ironically the reason is because those views are likely to be obscured.

風雲竹田城。
最高のコンディションすぎて、雲海ですぎるパターンでした。 pic.twitter.com/0FnWUyL8ZR

— saizou (@saizou4) November 1, 2016

【季節の1枚】
～天空の城～
兵庫県朝来市にひっそりと佇む竹田城。10月～11月の寒暖差が激しい日の翌日早朝には雲海が出現し、幻想的な景色を眺めることができます♪

この時期に見られる季節の1枚はコチラ
⇒https://t.co/vHDpBNFpzy pic.twitter.com/XQqgU5gqqT

— ANA【公式】 (@ANA_travel_info) October 31, 2016

深夜2時に家を出て、いざ竹田城へ。
満点の星空の下でロマンティック登山、その先には絶景がありました。
雲海は神秘的で美しかったなぁ。
ありがたや、ご来光🙏#竹田城 pic.twitter.com/64Z78NFjSj

— ますみ (@masumi_kawamura) October 30, 2016

The meteorological phenomena, called unkai, or “sea of clouds,” in Japanese, occurs most frequently from September to October, particularly in the early morning. At its most dramatic, unkai makes it appear as though the castle is floating in the sky.

▼ Time-lapse photography of the clouds rolling by both above and below.

最初に竹田城から撮ったやつショート版
ほんと見に行けて感動でした#竹田城 #雲海 #日本のマチュピチュ #立雲峡 pic.twitter.com/YBo9Xn5sjk

— あーたん (@akatuki_bonds) October 30, 2016

雲海に浮かぶ竹田城！ pic.twitter.com/L8xskBtONN

— かすてら (@Castella_34) October 29, 2016

夜中３時に自宅を出発して
兵庫県朝来市の『竹田城跡』にツーリング。

けど竹田城には三回程行った事があるので今回は竹田城の対面にある『立雲峡』に行って竹田城の外観を見に来てます。

雲海に浮かぶ幻想的な天空の城に暫し感動❗😆 pic.twitter.com/3vbZIj1M5B

— デビルヘル (@zrx1200hy) October 29, 2016

So why is autumn the best time to witness unkai? Because the season is the sweet spot for the humidity level needed for these cloud formations. Japan’s summer is often too wet and its winter too dry.

https://twitter.com/RYAKKO2/status/792516701430566912

竹田城の雲海綺麗やった！！ pic.twitter.com/sy9VMccbMG

— ゆうき📷️ (@photo_yuki88) November 6, 2016

https://twitter.com/bajamoot0/status/792552128891846658

In addition, the relatively large swings between daytime highs and overnight lows at this time of year are ideal for producing the mists that make these photos look so otherworldly.

【天空の城】

初めて見る雲海に感動！😍
興奮してあまり上手く撮影できなかったけど…😅

城の上に虹が架かかったのには本当に驚きました！
早起きした甲斐があったなぁ😊#ファインダー越しの私の世界 #photography #竹田城 pic.twitter.com/wYsVlineRX

— いち太 (@1ta_ukyoboy) November 3, 2016

https://twitter.com/kumityan98/status/792522778209431552

大阪から摩耶山で夜景を撮って
そのまま立雲峡に夜通し運転して竹田城跡の撮影！
体力が限界でしたw
でも夜景、星空、雲海のコンボは盛りだくさんで幸せでした♪#写真好きな人と繋がりたい #竹田城 #星空 #夜景 #摩耶山 pic.twitter.com/uUsgEHblS6

— 天乃川 (@amanogawa_owl) November 5, 2016

If you’re looking to see the unkai at its optimal conditions, you’ve still got a few weeks left in which to make your travel plans, and detailed information about how to get to the Takeda Castle ruins can be found here, in English, on Asago City’s official website.

Source: Japaaan, Twitter/@Castella_34

Follow Casey on Twitter, where he’s incapable of hearing about a Japanese castle without plotting a trip to it.