New Year’s Day in the land of the rising sun Jan 1, 2019

New Year’s Day in the land of the rising sun

Watching the first sunrise of a new year is a tradition for some, and in Japan, it’s an event. Crowds gather on mountaintops or beaches to get beautiful, unobstructed views of the new year’s first daybreak. The hikers in this photo are gathered on Japan’s Mount Fuji to watch the sunrise, but in a warmer time of year. Highly skilled mountaineers have been known to summit Mount Fuji on New Year’s Day, but dangerously high winds and bitterly cold temperatures make the peak of Mount Fuji on January 1 off limits to most of us. Of course, you don’t have to get to Japan and climb Fuji or any other mountain to watch the new year sun peek over the horizon. Maybe you are still awake from your New Year’s Eve celebration and can enjoy the sunrise just before you retire for the first official nap of 2019. Let’s make it a good one!

© Nopasorn Kowathanakul/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Jan 1, 2020Napping away New Year s Day
Jan 1, 2021Take the plunge into 2021
Jan 1, 2022New Year s Day
Jan 1, 2023New Year s Day
Jan 1, 2024Happy New Year!
Jan 1, 2025Happy New Year!

More Desktop Wallpapers:

May 20, 2023World Bee Day
Sep 25, 2019Chilling out in the Arctic
Sep 12, 2024World Dolphin Day
Feb 25, 2021Trevi in bloom
Sep 26, 2020Wandering Watkins Glen
Nov 29, 2022Giving Tuesday
Nov 5, 2025Peña Roya beech forest, Moncayo Natural Park, Aragon, Spain
Sep 7, 2025Gdańsk on the banks of the Motława, Poland
Jun 6, 2023D-Day remembered
Jan 14, 2020Going head-to-head with winter
Dec 30, 2019Sky island views
Jan 19, 2020Ready. Set. Snow.
Feb 28, 2020Looking down on the Otter
May 4, 2025Star Wars Day
Feb 3, 2024Carnival of Venice
Nov 20, 2019Atop the roof of Africa
Oct 19, 2021These laurels are hardy
Mar 7, 2024Roques de Benet, Els Ports Natural Park, Catalonia, Spain
Mar 11, 2025Broken Beach in Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia
Dec 30, 2021Westerheversand Lighthouse
Jul 30, 2023Palouse farmland, Washington state
Nov 23, 2022Fibonacci Day
May 16, 2021A magnificent monolith
Dec 18, 2018A hit ballet, long after its debut
Jan 6, 2025Flooded crypt, Basilica of San Francesco, Ravenna, Italy
Jan 10, 2022Ski touring in Austria
Mar 29, 2019A place called ‘Peace’ in India
Jun 27, 2021Bathing in the light of Pride
Nov 4, 2025Tower Bridge, London, England
Oct 21, 2024Cypress trees in George L. Smith State Park, Georgia