kenleewrites in 日本

The last day I was in Okinawa, I woke up extremely early to catch the sunrise. After all, it’s not everyday I get to see a sunrise over in Okinawa. ^^.

We got to the beach at about 5am and waited in the dark.

It was kinda hard walking in the dark. And Okinawa was dark. ^^.

We went to Sun Sun Beach. All the way east of Naha.

The beach was extremely quiet this early in the morning. ^^.

We waited patiently.

Dawn was fantastic! It’s that twilight moment that precedes the sunrise.
That’s when the sky brightens up with nice colors.

We were treated to some really nice red fluffy clouds.

I like watching both sunrises and sunsets. If I had to choose, I have a slight preference for sunrises. Brings hope that today will be a better day. ^^. What about you? Sunrise or sunset person?

Of course we weren’t alone. ^^. Others eventually came to enjoy the sunrise too.

I searched wikipedia for a technical definition.
There were three definitions based on the angle the sun makes with the horizon; 18, 12 and 6 degrees below the horizon.

Astronomical dawn
the moment after which the sky is no longer completely dark, formally defined as the time at which the sun is 18 degrees below the horizon in the morning.
Nautical dawn
the time at which there is just enough sunlight for the horizon and some objects to be distinguishable, formally defined as the time at which the sun is 12 degrees below the horizon in the morning.
Civil dawn
that time at which there is enough light for objects to be distinguishable and that outdoor activities can commence, formally defined as the time at which the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon in the morning.
Dawn should not be confused with sunrise, which is the moment when the leading edge of the sun itself appears above the horizon.

If you’ve waited in the dark for the sunrise, dawn is one of those magical moments where the world around you brightens up, and yet, you can’t see the sun.

“The night is darkest before the dawn”.
A recent quote from someone. Care to take a guess? ^^.

The sun rose and I snapped. ^^.

Clouds add that little bit more drama to the sunrise don’t you think?

Like my Thundercats t-shirt? ^^.

When it’s a little higher above the horizon, the sun lights up a path on the water. It was really amazing! ^^.

It’s almost like you could walk on the water.

Land of the rising sun. ^^.

The day started with waiting in the dark, experiencing dawn and seeing the sunrise. There was still a surprise waiting for us! We were treated to a rainbow!

I like this cloud. Named it “Asadachi” (朝立ち). Means “standing up in the morning”. ^^. Something every guy should know.

That’s the beach right there.

If you get a chance to visit Okinawa, be sure to enjoy the sunrise too. ^^.