A noise. It’s dark. It’s the alarm. It’s 4am. Time to head off to spend sunrise with the cranes at a site made (in)famous for sunrise photos at a river with, you guessed it, cranes.
It is there that I sink to my lowest point. -18 degrees Celsius to be precise. But I am kept warm by the huddle of photographers on the bridge overlooking the scene.
In the distance, half shrouded by mist rising from the river, were the cranes. The surrounding trees and bushes were covered in rime. Once the sun appeared above the horizon the landscape glittered. I moved my focus to this as a photo opportunity, and moved away from the huddling masses.
As the day goes on in various locations, the number of intrepid photographers dwindle, even though opportunities still exist. Dinner today is slightly downgraded. Even the hoped for salad at my hotel for cancelled. Instead making use of the ubiquitous Japanese convenience store in the land of the cup noodle, an instant ramen and a beer it is.
