it is darkest under the lamp post; you can't see what's right under your nose
Proverb meaning that one often fails to notice things close at hand, especially when searching far away.
It was a case of 'darkest under the lamp post'—the key I was looking for was right in front of me.
As the saying goes, 'it's darkest under the lamp post'—I didn't know about the famous spots in my own hometown.
Standard kanji spelling for this proverb.
Variant spelling using もと instead of 下; both are common.
A Japanese proverb of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a similar Chinese saying. The literal meaning is 'it is dark at the foot of a lighthouse,' metaphorically expressing that one tends to overlook things nearby.