Breathtaking sea of clouds hangs over mountain basin in Japan

Hikers who ascended a mountain in Japan’s Mie Prefecture around dawn on Sunday were lucky enough to catch a rare ethereal view of white clouds undulating over a basin like an ocean.

People climbed up Tsueno Peak in Kumano City to a location at an altitude of 495 meters to see the stunning natural phenomenon forming against the backdrop of mountaintops. The breathtaking landscape emerged as temperatures around the peak tumbled close to 10 degrees Celsius.

The vast expanse of stark white clouds turned orange when the sun began to rise above a nearby mountain. The horizon on the Kumano Sea, just off the coast of the city, was also visible farther away. The awe-inspiring scenery may appear around Tsueno Peak on mornings from around this time of year through winter if the skies are clear and the temperature drops sharply around dawn.