If this is the last day of the world, it sure looks beautiful.

Japan has long been known as the Land of the Rising Sun, but recent photos of amazing sunsets like these in Nagasaki Prefecture and this one in Osaka have shown us that it’s the Land of the Setting Sun too.

Just yesterday, Mother Nature put on yet another beautiful display in the sky for people in Japan, and while it was breathtaking in its beauty, it was also frighteningly ominous, as it came on the eve of Typhoon Hagibis‘ arrival in the country.

Typhoon Hagibis is currently so large that it stretches across the entire length of the archipelago, and people here have been told to “protect their lives” as they prepare for it to make landfall today. Against that backdrop, yesterday’s amazing sunset lit up the sky with such unusual hues that people saw it as a frightening harbinger of the end days.

▼ “How come the sky is all purply pink…? Scary. No filter, this is abnormal weather. It’s too scary. The typhoon this time is dangerous. Just so you know, it’s possible.”

https://twitter.com/071827/status/1182594500893396995

▼ “News Flash: The sky in areas around Japan is purple and pink. The end of Japan has begun.”

▼ “The sky is pink. Scary.”

https://twitter.com/moominyama/status/1182577369904607233

▼ “Suddenly the sky is pink? Purple? Rather than being beautiful, this made me feel unsettled.”

https://twitter.com/willful_326/status/1182577130112090112

The unusual-looking sunset conjured up a sense of fear and impending dread in many, with some saying it was like taking a glimpse into hell.

▼ “Hell is waiting for those who exit the station.”

We have to admit, we never thought hell would look so beautiful. Particularly when the purply pink sky threw unusual shades of light into people’s houses, like this one, illuminating a shoji paper shutter.

https://twitter.com/Oharus_Yaojia/status/1182585879354695682

The colours were so intense that the skies looked like something out of the anime world.

You don’t often you see stunning purple and pink hues like this when the sun dips below the horizon.

https://twitter.com/mz3racing/status/1182580690321195008 https://twitter.com/MOMO__717/status/1182874855454064640

The purple skies were mostly seen across Osaka…

https://twitter.com/yuCcanimiso/status/1182845740940292096

…although Kobe got a glimpse of the stunning sunset as well.

https://twitter.com/rutiko16/status/1182578442698551296

According to science, purple sunsets are commonly seen with typhoons, as storm clouds distort the untraviolet light from the sun as it sets. The low clouds underneath the typhoon cause small particles in the atmosphere to change the direction of light rays, forcing them to scatter and making the colours appear purple.

It’s an eerie phenomenon that can send shivers up your spine or make you smile with delight. Much like the typhoon warning sent out by NHK to all foreign residents earlier this week. Stay safe everyone!

Source, featured image: Twitter/@Desu_unknown 
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