Cultural Properties of the Munakata Region
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An Island of Lights |
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As the day draws to an end, the sun may dip beyond the horizon, but the nights of Oshima are far from dark. From Tsuwase Beach on the island’s west side, the sunset over the Genkai Sea is followed by the gradual illumination of Kyushu’s coastline.
As night deepens, other lights emerge. The lamps of squid-fishing boats glimmer on the water, used to attract nocturnal catches into the early hours of the morning. With minimal light pollution, the night sky offers excellent conditions for stargazing. From autumn through early winter, the Big Dipper appears low enough above the horizon that the ladle seems to scoop from the sea.
Around the winter solstice (December 22) and the traditional start of spring in Japan (February 3), the rising sun aligns with the double torii gates of Nakatsu-miya. |
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