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Thach Long is a young journalist, born in 1983, currently working in Japan. During his more than three years living in the Land of the Rising Sun, the nature, people, and way of life there have continued to inspire many of his impressive photo series.
With over 5,000 followers on his personal page, Thach Long's photographic works consistently receive much love from the online community. Below are his latest notes and shared thoughts: a Hanoi resident talking about a Japanese sunset.
Author Thach Long
I've been a fan of sunsets for a long time, but not Hanoi sunsets. Simply because Hanoi sunsets fall at the most terrible time for the people of the capital: rush hour.
Therefore, no matter how magnificent the Hanoi sunset may be, it cannot soothe the anger at being cut off, overtaken, or having people blocking the road; it cannot dispel the shame when you – with a keyboard in hand – vehemently criticize, "If cars are lined up in 5 rows, how are motorbikes supposed to move?", only to realize you yourself are in lane number 4.
But Japanese sunsets are, for the evening, a very emotional time of day. Truly emotional.
Normally, I finish work before the sun sets. However, because I work straight through from morning until noon, I have to grab a bite to eat right after work. After eating, I floss and rinse my mouth with the magical latte from 7-11 (the thing I miss most about Japan right now), and it's just the right time as the sun sets.
By then, the work was done, my hunger had subsided, and I was in a very cheerful mood. On average, out of 10 Japanese sunsets, I bring my camera three times, and the other seven times I simply find a place to sit and watch the hurried crowds pass by.
I've noticed that Japanese people smile more at sunset. This isn't a metaphor; it's just my observation. In the morning, they seem hurried and irritable on their way to work. I once witnessed a man in a suit yelling at a 7-11 employee at 9 am because she (a Chinese woman) kept mistakenly taking the wrong brand of cigarettes. In the evening, they seem more relaxed, walking in groups and chatting animatedly.
Speaking of beauty, sunsets in Japan are somewhat different from those in Vietnam. Japanese sunsets are usually a vibrant red, cloudless expanse. In contrast, Hanoi sunsets are often more spectacular, with streaks of clouds obscuring the sun. Because of this, Hanoi sunsets often feature large sun rays. I once captured a very large sunset ray in Hanoi. It's very rare in Japan.
In Japan, there are usually only two states: sunset or no sunset. Meanwhile, in Hanoi (from my observation), there are three states. First, the sky is clear with a vibrant red sunset. Second, the sky is overcast with no sunset. The third state is the "sunset during pollution" – the sky is full of smoke and fine dust, but not yet overcast; you can still see the reddish sun, but its light is very weak, and something hazy and opaque is visible within the sun's halo.
Japan is very aware of the public's desire to watch the sunset, so almost every city has a few spots that people have named "sunset viewing spots." Japan even has rankings of the most beautiful sunset viewing locations.
In Hanoi, anyone wanting to watch the sunset can do so based on personal experience, as there isn't a designated spot. The Japanese, however, are very aware of their desire to watch the sunset, so almost every city has several spots that locals have named "sunset viewing spots." In fact, Japan even has rankings of the most beautiful sunset viewing locations.
