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posted: June 30th, 2013 |
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This page begins with June 1st and a long hike from Minami (South) Takao to Mt. Kobotoke-Shiroyama. Then we jump to June 2nd for a climb of Mt. Takao itself (599 m = 1,965 ft) and a search for Dendrobium moniliforme - the Japanese Stone Orchid (Sekkoku in Japanese). After that there are just a few photos from June 8th and trip to Kawaguchiko (Kawaguchi Lake) in Yamanashi Prefecture and a climb of Mt. Kurotake (1,793 m = 5,882 ft). Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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| Begin June 1st |
On Saturday, June 1st, Kazuya and I went out to Minami (South) Mt. Takao and hiked from the bus stop all the way through the Minami Takao area and all the way to Mt. Kobotoke-Shiroyama. You may (or may not) recall that we hiked this same route back on March 23rd. You can review those photos HERE (new window or tab). All 3 photos in this row show shots of Campanula punctata var. hondoensis.
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 June1st007MinamiTakao_ CampanulaPunctataVarHondoensisRC |
 June01_03_MinamiTakao_Kobotoke_ Campanula_punctata_var_hondoensisRC |
 June01_07_MinamiTakao_Kobotoke _Campanula_punctata_var_hondoensisRC |
At this time of the year there are not so many flowers, so we'll show you photos of other things. The first shot in this row shows the first sign which we saw that shows our progress to Mt. Kobotoke-Shiroyama. It says 7.1 km and we have already been hiking for 1 hour and 7 minutes. We were thinking that we would show you every sign that we passed to show our progress, but rather than do that, there is one sign collage at the end of the presentation and between here and there are only 3 more sign photos. The 2nd photo in this row shows an example of Scutellaria brachyspica. The 3rd shot shows another progress sign. Now we have either 6.3 or 6.4 kilometers to go, depending on which fork of the trail we choose to hike. We have now been hiking for 1 hour and 25 minutes.
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 June01_13_Minami Takao_Kobotoke_SignRC |
 June1st009MinamiTakao _ScutellariaBrachyspicaRC |
 June01_15_MinamiTakao _Kobotoke_SignRC |
In 1st and 3rd positions in this row is an unknown white-flowered plant. In the center is a view of Mt. Fuji.
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 June1st013 MinamiTakaoRC |
 June01_17_MinamiTakao _Kobotoke_MtFujiRC |
 June01_19_MinamiTakao_ Kobotoke_WhiteFlowersRC |
Here are 3 shots taken from the overlook at Tsukui Lake. If you want to compare this area to what we saw back on March 23rd CLICK HERE (new window or tab). You'll note that there is a little more water now than there was then and you'll also notice that we could not see Mt. Fuji on that date.
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 June01_23_MinamiTakao _Kobotoke_TsukuiLakeRC |
 June01_24_MinamiTakao _Kobotoke_TsukuiLakeRC |
 June01_25_MinamiTakao _Kobotoke_MtFujiRC |
Here are 2 shots of a species of Wild Rose - Rosa luciae and one more progress sign - 4.3 kilometers to go and we've been hiking for 2 hours and 29 minutes.
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 June1st019MinamiTakao _RosaLuciaeRC |
 June1st021MinamiTakao _RosaLuciaeRC |
 June01_29_Minami Takao_Kobotoke_SignRC |
Here is another view of Mt. Fuji. As you'll note, it is cloudy, but they are high clouds and we can actually see pretty good. In 2nd position is the summit marker for Mt. Ooborayama (536 m = 1,759 ft). In 3rd position - this is one reason we hiked this long trail - we hoped to find this (or any) orchid. Here is the Calanthe discolor Orchid. By the way - this is the first of 15 different orchids you will see on this month's 3 pages.
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 June01_31_Minami Takao_Kobotoke_MtFujiRC |
 June01_33_MinamiTakao _Kobotoke_OoborayamaRC |
 June1st028MinamiTakao_ CalantheDiscolorRC |
Here are 2 more photos of the Calanthe discolor Orchid and those are followed by a shot of some mushrooms growing on an old log.
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 June01_38_MinamiTakao_Kobotoke _Calanthe_discolorRC |
 June01_41_MinamiTakao_Kobotoke _Calanthe_discolorRC |
 June01_42_MinamiTakao _Kobotoke_MushroomRC |
In this row is another shot of the mushrooms and 2 more shots of Calanthe discolor Orchids.
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 June01_43_MinamiTakao _Kobotoke_MushroomRC |
 June01_50_MinamiTakao_ Kobotoke_Calanthe_discolorRC |
 June1st038MinamiTakao _CalantheDiscolorRC |
Here is another shot of the Calanthe discolor Orchid, a shot of Mt. Fuji, from the summit of Mt. Kobotoke-Shiroyama (we hiked/climbed for 4 hours and 42 minutes from our starting point to get here). In 3rd position is another Calanthe discolor Orchid.
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 June01_53_MinamiTakao_ Kobotoke_Calanthe_discolorRC |
 June01_60_MinamiTakao _Kobotoke_MtFujiRC |
 June01_54_MinamiTakao_ Kobotoke_Calanthe_discolorRC |
Here are 2 more shots of the Calanthe discolor Orchid. You may have noticed that we are being very vague about our precise location. That's because we do now want to give orchid/plant thieves any more hints than necessary as to the location.
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 June01_70_MinamiTakao_ Kobotoke_Calanthe_discolorRC |
 June1st065KobotokeShiroyama _CalantheDiscolorRC |
All 3 shots in this row show the Rubus hirsutus edible berry. It's a strange one. It's sweet, but not too sweet, but after you eat about 10 or 12 of these berries you don't want any more of them. It is not like blueberries or strawberries of raspberries and you just want to keep eating. There is some trace amount chemical in it which tells your body to stop eating. Kazuya researched it and found that people mostly use it for making jams and jellies, so whatever chemical is in it must be neutralized by cooking.
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 June1st069Kobotoke Shiroyama_RubusHirsutusRC |
 June01_72_MinamiTakao _Kobotoke_Rubus_hirsutusRC |
 June01_73_MinamiTakao _Kobotoke_Rubus_hirsutusRC |
Another Orchid - Cremastra appendiculata. This is the second of 15 different orchids you will see on this month's 3 pages. We also showed you a few examples of this species last month on page 3. And, in final position for this date, the collage of the progress signs as we hiked along. Of course after we arrived at Mt. Kobotoke-Shiroyama we still had to hike a few kilometers down to a bus stop, we were not finished when we got to Mt. Kobotoke-Shiroyama, not at all! One must assume that these distances are horizontal distances and not slope distances, but one never knows for sure! Maybe they rolled a wheely-dealy along the trail - if they did that then it would be slope distances!
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 June01_81_MinamiTakao_Kobotoke _Cremastra_appendiculataRC |
 June01_75_MinamiTakao_Kobotoke _Cremastra_appendiculataRC |
 Signs_Minami Takao_KobotokeRC |
| End June 1st, Begin June 2nd |
On June 2nd Kazuya and I went out to Mt. Takao in search of the Dendrobium moniliforme - the Japanese Stone Orchid (Sekkoku in Japanese) again. We showed you several photos of this orchid last month and if you want to review those PLEASE CLICK HERE (new window or tab). Those photos were mostly zoomed in photos, so this month we'll show you mostly overview shots. The first shot in this row shows that the Mountain Hydrangea is beginning to bloom. The 2nd and 3rd photos are Dendrobium moniliforme - the Japanese Stone Orchid (Sekkoku in Japanese) high in the Old Cedar Trees. This is the third of 15 different orchids you will see on this month's 3 pages.
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 Jun02_002_MtTakao _HydrangeaRC |
 June2nd_MtTakao003 _DendrobiumMoniliformeRC |
 June2nd_MtTakao008 _DendrobiumMoniliformeRC |
Just look at all of the Dendrobium moniliforme - the Japanese Stone Orchid (Sekkoku in Japanese) flowers in these trees! Amazing, eh!?
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 June2nd_MtTakao013 _DendrobiumMoniliformeRC |
 June2nd_MtTakao010 _DendrobiumMoniliformeRC |
 Jun02_006_MtTakao_ Dendrobium_moniliformeRC |
Here are 2 overview shots and in the center is a 2 shot panorama of a large branch with an uncountable number of flowers on it.
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 June2nd_MtTakao027 _DendrobiumMoniliformeRC |
 Jun02_011_012_Panorama_Mt Takao_Dendrobium_moniliformeRC |
 June2nd_MtTakao029 _DendrobiumMoniliformeRC |
And here are 3 more overview shots.
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 Jun02_015_MtTakao _Dendrobium_moniliformeRC |
 Jun02_022_MtTakao _Dendrobium_moniliformeRC |
 Jun02_026_MtTakao _Dendrobium_moniliformeRC |
And pretty much the final shots - note that we said "pretty much" - you will see a couple more.
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 Jun02_027_MtTakao_ Dendrobium_moniliformeRC |
 Jun02_030_MtTakao_ Dendrobium_moniliformeRC |
 Jun02_036_MtTakao_ Dendrobium_moniliformeRC |
The first shot in this row was taken at the summit of Mt. Takao (599 m = 1,965 ft). The crowd is not too large today. The 2nd shot is a Clematis flower, precisely it is Clematis japonica. The 3rd shot is one more of Dendrobium moniliforme - the Japanese Stone Orchid (Sekkoku in Japanese). This small clump of flowers is on a nearly dead branch, so it is very easily visible.
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 Jun02_064_MtTakao _SummitRC |
 June2nd_MtTakao074 _ClematisJaponicaRC |
 Jun02_065_MtTakao_ Dendrobium_moniliformeRC |
All 3 shots in this row are Pseudopyxis depressa. Last month we found another type of Pseudopyxis depressa and showed you some photos - that was Pseudopyxis depressa f. angustiloba.
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 June2nd_MtTakao095 _PseudopyxisDepressaRC |
 Jun02_084_MtTakao_ Pseudopyxis_depressaRC |
 June2nd_MtTakao096 _PseudopyxisDepressaRC |
Here are 2 more of our best shots of Pseudopyxis depressa. This is a small plant with a small flower. The flower has a very light pink edge on it, which never shows up well in photos.
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 June2nd_MtTakao099 _PseudopyxisDepressaRC |
 Jun02_094_MtTakao_ Pseudopyxis_depressaRC |
Here is the final shot of Pseudopyxis depressa for this year and also the final shot of Dendrobium moniliforme - the Japanese Stone Orchid (Sekkoku in Japanese) until next year.
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 Jun02_099_MtTakao_ Pseudopyxis_depressaRC |
 Jun02_101_MtTakao_ Dendrobium_moniliformeRC |
| End June 2nd, Begin June 8th |
On June 8th Kazuya and I got up at 3:30 AM, got ready and left at about 4:10 AM for Kawaguchiko (Kawaguchi Lake) in Yamanashi Prefecture. We arrived at Kawaguchiko Station at 7:14 AM and took the 7:18 AM bus for the Mitsutouge Iriguchi Bus Stop. We started climbing toward the summit of Mt. Kurotake (1,793 m = 5,882 ft) at about 7:40 AM and arrived at the summit at about 11:30 AM. In this first row are 2 shots of Aquilegia buergeriana f. flavescens and 1 shot of Vincetoxicum acuminatum.
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 June8th_MtKurotake001_Aquilegia BuergerianaFFlavescensRC |
 Jun08_03_MtKurotake_Aquilegia _buergeriana_f_flavescensRC |
 June8th_MtKurotake005_ VincetoxicumAcuminatumRC |
In 1st and 3rd positions in this row are photos of the Silver Orchid - Cephalanthera erecta. This is the fourth of 15 different orchids you will see on this month's 3 pages. In center position is another shot of Vincetoxicum acuminatum.
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 Jun08_14_MtKurotake_ Cephalanthera_erectaRC |
 Jun08_05_MtKurotake_ Vincetoxicum_acuminatumRC |
 June8th_MtKurotake010 _CephalantheraErectaRC |
In 1st position in this row is a nice specimen of Rhododendron kaempferi. In 2nd are 3rd positions are photos of Maianthemum dilatatum.
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 June8th_MtKurotake011 _RhododendronKaempferiRC |
 June8th_MtKurotake016 _MaianthemumDilatatumRC |
 June8th_MtKurotake017 _MaianthemumDilatatumRC |
In this, the final row of this page, is another type (species) of the Silver Orchid - Cephalanthera longibracteata - you may notice that it has longer bracts than the usual Cephalanthera erecta. This is the fifth of 15 different orchids you will see on this month's 3 pages. In 2nd are 3rd positions are nice shots of a Geranium - Geranium eriostemon var. reinii f. onoei. And that's the end of this page. The final photo here was taken at 10:24 AM. We'll continue on Page 2 at exactly 11:00 AM.
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 June8th_MtKurotake018_ CephalantheraLongibracteataRC |
 June8th_MtKurotake022_Geranium EriostemonVarReiniiFOnoeiRC |
 June8th_MtKurotake023_Geranium EriostemonVarReiniiFOnoeiRC |
| End Page 1, but June 8th Continues on Page 2 |
| Thanks so much for taking the time to look at this page. Now, please go on to Page 2 for the continuation of this day's and this month's adventures. |
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