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When it comes to beautiful landscapes, one of the best is anything with rolling banks of thick fog. Now, we imagine some people who live in places like Seattle or London might not agree with the sentiment, but for many of us, the heavy mist of a spring morning is like meandering through a dream. Maybe not the best way to get yourself ready for a day of work, admittedly, but it’s definitely affecting.

Of course, many in Japan would agree–from 12th century emperors to contemporary filmographers. Just check out this stunning video titled “TOKYO DENSE FOG” to see how something as simple as the weather can turn Japan’s modern capital into a mystical realm.

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The video, which was produced by WOW, a visual design studio that creates everything from installations and motion graphics to app designs and user interfaces, is part of a series of short films commissioned by NIKKOR to show of their very fancy (and very expensive) lenses. Though only three minutes and 25 seconds long, the video does a great job taking viewers around–and eventually above–Tokyo on what must have been the foggiest day in recent Tokyo history.

As you have probably guessed, the video was seemingly created using gear entirely from Nikon. The camera was a D810 paired with four different lenses: AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, AF-S NIKKOR 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED, AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G ED. Sadly, we have to admit that we have almost no idea what any of that means, but if you do, perhaps you’ll find it tremendously impressive! Or perhaps not…

▼Either way, this is the gorgeous result of all that equipment!

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As we mentioned before, this is actually one in a series of videos produced for NIKKOR, and you can find more on the NIKKOR Motion Gallery website. Right now, only one other video is available–a short piece called “Hope” by augement5 Inc., which is another creative agency in Tokyo.

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All these beautiful shots of foggy Tokyo have reminded us of an excellent poem by Emperor Go-taba in the Shin Kokin Wakashu, poem number two in the anthology:

“At last, glimpses of spring roll through the sky. A mist shrouds Mt. Amanokagu.”

We hope you enjoyed this stunning video as much as we did–it certainly provides a unique take on one of our favorite cities!

Sources: Karapaia, YouTube, NIKKOR, WOW, Manapedia
Images: Karapaia, YouTube