I spent a few days at Yoshino-Kumano national park to provide consulting related to inbound sustainable tourism. We visited an area restricted to protect the ecosystem: 30 visitors maximum per day, guide compulsory, and pre-registration needed! The awesome starry sky was unexpected: no mention beforehand, mentions during the trip that the area is famous for its rain (and clouds on other days)… That was apparently the chance of a lifetime for a visitor like me. And a few hours later, walk in the dark with a needed headlamp & windbreaker to see the sunrise at 1,695 m of altitude, with a “sea of clouds”!
This work for the Japanese Ministry of the Environment was similar to the work I did for the ministry at Ashizuri-uwakai national park.