Naha Airport and Senagajima

This camera looks out toward Naha Airport and Senagajima, on the coast just south of Okinawa's main airport. It is a rare combination: aircraft, open sea and a small island in a single frame.

Senagajima sits directly under the approach path, which is what makes it well known. Aircraft pass low overhead on their way in, close enough to make out airline liveries from the ground. The island is connected to the main island by a causeway, so it can be reached by car in minutes from the airport.

The island has a hot spring, a hillside terrace of white Mediterranean-style buildings, and a shrine at the water's edge. Because it faces west across the East China Sea, sunset is the signature time here — aircraft silhouetted against an orange sky is the shot people come for. Okinawa's sunsets run late by Japanese standards, around 19:25 near the summer solstice.