COdasu6UAAA8wMk

Mount Fuji—its almost perfectly symmetrical shape and towering, snow-topped beauty have long been a symbol of Japan, recognised the world round. It has also recently been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its strong ties to the Japanese culture. And now, in the clear skies following this week’s typhoon, it is also being called Laputa, as Twitter users are posting their impressive photos of the cloud-capped peak.

Laputa: Castle in the Sky was the third film directed by famed animator Hayao Miyazaki, and the first one to be produced and released under the Studio Ghibli name. In the story, Laputa is the only remaining flying city, built by ancient human civilizations, deserted after a catastrophe destroyed all of the others. It remains hidden in within a powerful thunderhead cloud.

746afd18-sImage: My Game News Flash

Those who grew up watching Castle in the Sky may think of the giant floating city each time they see a massive thunderhead, or any distinctive cloud mass for that matter. The clouds that formed above Mt. Fuji in the cleared skies that followed Japan’s most recent typhoon have certainly garnered a bit of attention.

▲ “Mt. Fuji this morning from Shoujiko Lake”

▲ “Good morning. Here is Mt. Fuji this morning, from Fujinomiya. You can see the brilliant clouds in this clear weather following the typhoon.”

And it was even more brilliant the previous afternoon.

▲ “The top of Mt. Fuji’s turned into Laputa”

Indeed, it does look like Laputa could be hidden inside!

https://twitter.com/Mika_LuvinBass/status/641527253059309568

▲ “The typhoon has cleared, and it looks like something is being hidden by this crazy cloud cap.”

For those of you who didn’t pay attention during meteorology lessons, a cloud cap (or cap cloud) is, according to Weather Online, “a stratiform, orographic cloud that hovers above or over an isolated mountain peak, formed by the cooling and condensation of moist air forced up and over the peak and lenticularly shaped by horizontal upper level winds.” That or it’s a cloud formed to hide ancient, floating civilizations in the sky, if you prefer a less wordy explanation.

 

I wonder if there were any hikers up there who could tell us if Laputa was really amongst those clouds or not?

Source: NAVER Matome
Top image: Twitter/@taitan21