Unkai (Cloud) Terrace in Tomamu
The Unkai (雲海, cloud) Terrace in Tomamu has been gaining popularity in recent years. It is commonly on the itinerary of visitors to Central Hokkaido（北海道）in summer, together with flower fields in nearby Furano（富良野）. This year, I finally managed to make my first attempt to see the unkai. (Photo from Hoshino Resorts Tomamu website) Seeing the unkai requires much luck and effort. The weather conditions have to be right for the right amount of clouds to form at the right altitude. Also, it is better to reach the terrace early (4+ am). In fact, the gondola to the terrace only operates in the early morning. The Unkai Terrace website provides unkai forecast for the next morning at 3 pm, and updates the unkai status slightly before 4 am on the day itself. It also collates the unkai occurences for the past 7 days. According to the website, possibility of seeing the unkai is only 30% to 50%. In order to maximise the chance of seeing unkai, we planned 3 nights stay in Tomamu. It...