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This is Page 1 of 4 - the best of July 2009!
posted: July 31st, 2009
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This page begins with July 3rd and takes you through 8:30 AM on July 11th, a trip to Jindai Botanical Garden, a trip to Fujino and a July 10 - 12 climb of Mt. Yatsugatake in Nagano Prefecture. Click on any thumbnail to begin.

Begin July 3rd
  On July 3rd Kazuya and I went to Jindai Botanical Garden to check on the progress of the summer flowers. This first row shows you 2 photos of some beautiful Mountain Lilies and 1 photo of a very strangely colored Lily.
Jul3_JindaiBG002_MountainLilyRC.jpg
Jul3_JindaiBG002
_MountainLilyRC
Jul3_JindaiBG008_MountainLilyRC.jpg
Jul3_JindaiBG008
_MountainLilyRC
July3rd_JindaiBG011_LilyRC.jpg
July3rd_JindaiBG
011_LilyRC

  The Artichokes (Cynara scolymus) were also very beautiful. Here are 3 shots of Artichoke flowers. The "thorns" on these things are SHARP!
July3rd_JindaiBG014_Artichoke_Cynara_scolymusRC.jpg
July3rd_JindaiBG014_
Artichoke_Cynara_scolymusRC
Jul3_JindaiBG025_Artichoke_Cynara_scolymusRC.jpg
Jul3_JindaiBG025_
Artichoke_Cynara_scolymusRC
Jul3_JindaiBG027_Artichoke_Cynara_scolymusRC.jpg
Jul3_JindaiBG027_
Artichoke_Cynara_scolymusRC

  The first photo in this row is a beautiful White Lotus Flower and the remaining 2 images are Hibiscus (Hibiscus syriacus cv.).
Jul3_JindaiBG039_LotusRC.jpg
Jul3_JindaiBG
039_LotusRC
Jul3_JindaiBG051_Hibiscus_syriacusRC.jpg
Jul3_JindaiBG051_
Hibiscus_syriacusRC
July3rd_JindaiBG037_DoctorUemoto_Hibiscus_syriacusRC.jpg
July3rd_JindaiBG037_Doctor
Uemoto_Hibiscus_syriacusRC

  Here is an image of Buddleja avidii, a "screw flower" (Spiranthes sinensis) - you can easily imagine how it got its name - and then a beautiful Water Lily.
Jul3_JindaiBG067_Buddleja_avidiiRC.jpg
Jul3_JindaiBG067_
Buddleja_avidiiRC
Jul3_JindaiBG062_Spiranthes_sinensisRC.jpg
Jul3_JindaiBG062_
Spiranthes_sinensisRC
July3rd_JindaiBG051_WaterLilyRC.jpg
July3rd_JindaiBG
051_WaterLilyRC

  Here are 3 photos of very beautiful Water Lilies. Every summer the Botanical Garden grows these in outdoor pools.
July3rd_JindaiBG052_WaterLilyRC.jpg
July3rd_JindaiBG
052_WaterLilyRC
Jul3_JindaiBG075_WaterLilyRC.jpg
Jul3_JindaiBG
075_WaterLilyRC
Jul3_JindaiBG077_WaterLilyRC.jpg
Jul3_JindaiBG
077_WaterLilyRC

  These shots are a natural pond and a naturally occurring Water Lily with a perfect reflection - it was extremely photogenic! Note the dragonfly in the upper left of the 2nd photo.
July3rd_JindaiBG059_Pond_WaterLily_ReflectionRC.jpg
July3rd_JindaiBG059_Pond_
WaterLily_ReflectionRC
July3rd_JindaiBG067_Pond_WaterLily_ReflectionRC.jpg
July3rd_JindaiBG067_Pond_
WaterLily_ReflectionRC

  In the first shot in this row the reflection is nicely distorted due to a fish having just jumped. The 2nd shot is from further away to give you a perspective.
July3rd_JindaiBG069_Pond_WaterLily_ReflectionRC.jpg
July3rd_JindaiBG069_Pond_
WaterLily_ReflectionRC
Jul3_JindaiBG095_Pond_WaterLily_ReflectionRC.jpg
Jul3_JindaiBG095_Pond_
WaterLily_ReflectionRC
End July 3rd, Begin July 4th
  On July 4th we went out to Fujino to the Fujino Hot Spring. From Fujino Station there is a free bus to the Hot Spring, but after our 4 hours at the Hot Spring we walked (a 2-hour walk) back to the train station. We passed this place - the sign says "HAPPY DRINK SHOP", but all that exists on the spot are these 5 vending machines! Interesting. The final image is "Tengu" - The Long Nosed God, at Takao Station with a Chuo Line Train in the Background.
July4_HappyDrinkShop02RC.jpg
July4_Happy
DrinkShop02RC
July4_Takao_Tengu03RC.jpg
July4_Takao
_Tengu03RC
End July 4th, Begin July 10th
  On July 10th, 11th and 12th Kazuya and I had a real adventure. We climbed Mt. Yatsugatake in Nagano Prefecture. Yatsugatake translates as "8 high mountains". There are more peaks than that, however, and we attained 7 peaks! It was a rough adventure. On the first day (shown on this page) it was raining, windy (Gale Force) and near white-out conditions on the first peak we attained. In this row the first photo is at the bottom of the mountain, as we were starting the climb. It only got worse after we gained some elevation. The 2nd and 3rd shots show you a "Chocolate Lily" (Fritillaria camschatcensis) - a flower which we have never before seen in the wild. The weather was so dark that we had to use our flash and do our best to protect our cameras from the falling rain. It was tough.
Jul10_Yatsugatake02_CloudsRC.jpg
Jul10_Yatsugatake
02_CloudsRC
July10th065_UptoMtIouRC.jpg
July10th065_
UptoMtIouRC
July10th036_UptoMtIouRC.jpg
July10th036_
UptoMtIouRC

  Here is one final shot of a "Chocolate Lily" (Fritillaria camschatcensis) - we never saw them again on the climb. The 2nd shot is a trail junction right at the place where we reached the main ridge which connects all of the peaks together. Maybe you can see that we are above tree line now and that the white-out is getting worse.
Jul10_Yatsugatake25_Fritillaria_camschatcensisRC.jpg
Jul10_Yatsugatake25_
Fritillaria_camschatcensisRC
July10th077_MtIouRC.jpg
July10th077_
MtIouRC

  Here is one shot of a rock sticking up through the mist. The 2nd shot is the Io-dake Mountain Hut where we stayed the night. The food was great. It was a nice place to stay. We slept on the left hand side behind where I took this shot from. The tough part was finding our way from the summit of Mt. Io-dake (2,760 meters = 9,055 feet) to this hut. The wind was blowing so bad on the Io-dake summit that we sat down and rested and ate a snack in the emergency shelter provided. Then we started down the mountain towards the hut, but the mountain is just rocks, so there is no well defined trail - at least not in a white-out. There are man-made rock gendarmes every now and then, but it was impossible for us to see from one of them to the next. I'll show you a photo of the rock gendarmes on a later page - after the weather clears up tomorrow!
July10th091_MtIouRC.jpg
July10th091_
MtIouRC
Jul10_Yatsugatake30_Iodake_HutRC.jpg
Jul10_Yatsugatake30_
Iodake_HutRC
End July 10th, Begin July 11th
  Now it's July 11th. We are hiking from the hut, south to Mt. Akadake, and then returning north, back past this same hut and continuing on north to a different hut. On the way to Mt. Akadake we're going to pass over Mt. Yokodake (2,829 meters = 9,281 feet) and Mt. Sansha (2,825 meters = 9,268 feet). Then we will get to Mt. Akadake (2,899 meters = 9,511 feet). The first 2 photos here show you a Violet which grows only on this mountain - Viola crassa ssp. yatsugatakeana. It is not very common and we considered ourselves fortunate to see it. In the 3rd photo it is just beginning to clear up. The weather forecast was for cloudy and then sunny - we were hoping that it was correct. At least it was no longer raining - but walking in the clouds was wet anyway.
July11th031_YokodakeAkadakeRC.jpg
July11th031_
YokodakeAkadakeRC
July11th042_YokodakeAkadakeRC.jpg
July11th042_
YokodakeAkadakeRC
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July11th064_
YokodakeAkadakeRC

  The first shot shows me disappearing into the clouds. The 2nd shot shows you some beautiful blue flowers. The 3rd shot is a photogenic rock with it's coating of lichen and some of those blue flowers growing in front of it.
July11th069_YokodakeAkadakeRC.jpg
July11th069_
YokodakeAkadakeRC
July11th072_YokodakeAkadakeRC.jpg
July11th072_
YokodakeAkadakeRC
July11th076_YokodakeAkadakeRC.jpg
July11th076_
YokodakeAkadakeRC

  Here are some white flowers taken so that a rock juts up behind them. The 2nd shot is Kazuya standing on a small un-named peak. The 3rd shot shows swirling clouds (you can't see them swirling though) and craggy ground down slope from us. Beginning to look like the weather forecast might be correct.
July11th102_YokodakeAkadakeRC.jpg
July11th102_
YokodakeAkadakeRC
Jul11_Yatsugatake001_KazuyaRC.jpg
Jul11_Yatsugatake
001_KazuyaRC
July11th112_YokodakeAkadakeRC.jpg
July11th112_
YokodakeAkadakeRC
End Page 1, but July 11th 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 months adventures. Page 2 begins at 8:31 AM on July 11th. Go To Page:


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