Outdoor Photography of Japan, The 19 Best of 2012

This is Page 1 of 1 - The 19 Best Photos of 2012
posted: December 29th, 2012

This page includes nineteen photos which I have selected out of approximately 6,900 photos which I kept during 2012. I consider these the best of the best. There are no thumbnails - what you see on this page is what you get. I would really like to hear your thoughts on the single photo which is the VERY BEST of the entire year. There is 1 image (3 photos) from March, 2 from April, 1 from May, 2 from June, 2 from July, 7 from August, 3 from November and 1 from December.

This first "Best Photo" (actually 3 photos) of the year was taken on March 30th on a trip to Bubaigawara and Kyodo-No-Mori Park. More photos similar to this can be found on Page 3 of the March Photo Pages - HERE.

The second "Best Photo" of the year was taken on April 1st. This is a Cymbidium goeringii orchid and it was taken on the trail to Mt. Kagenobu. You can find similar photos to this on Page 1 of the April Photo Pages - HERE.

The third "Best Photo" of the year was also taken on April 1st, but at Kogesawa (Koge Creek). This photo shows the moon and was taken while looking through some Plum Tree Buds - which are purposely out of focus. You can find more like this, also on Page 1 of the April Photo Pages - HERE - go to Row 8.

The fourth "Best Photo" of the year was taken on May 4th and is a photo of a Cherry Tree at Sabane-yama, in Yamagata Prefecture. Detail was reduced by HDR Toning in Photoshop. You can find a mouseover which shows this image and the original photo on the May Photos Index Page - HERE.

The fifth "Best Photo" of the year was taken on June 2nd on one of the Mt. Takao trails. It is the Dendrobium moniliforme orchid. This image is actually a 4 shot panorama. There are more photos similar to this on Page 1 of the June Photo Pages starting in Row 3 - HERE. You can find an even larger version of this photo HERE.

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The sixth "Best Photo" of the year was taken on June 8th on one of the trails of Mt. Yatsugatake. It is actually 2 shots which have been merged. It is a Calypso Orchid (Calypso bulbosa var. speciosa) - a most amazing flower. More photos similar to this can be found beginning on Page 2, Row 3 of the June Photo Pages - HERE.

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Here is the seventh "Best Photo" of the year. It was taken on July 5th near the Jindai Botanical Garden big pond. It shows a delicate pink water lily and its reflection. There are more photos similar to this on Page 1 of the July Photo Pages - HERE.

The eighth "Best Photo" of the year - taken on July 29th at Mt. Mitake. It is a photo of Anemonopsis macrophylla aka Anemonopsis heterophylla - the False Anemone or, in Japanese, Rengeshouma. More photos of this flower and this area can be found on Page 2 of the July Photo Pages - HERE.

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The ninth "Best Photo" of the year was taken on August 9th while ascending to Tsugaike Kogen in Hakuba's Northern Alps Mountain Range (Japan). This photo shows Mt. Shakushi (Shakushidake) on the left and Mt. Shirouma (Shiroumadake) on the right. It was taken from the Gondola car. We climbed both of those mountains. More photos of this mountain and this area can be found on Pages 1, 2 and 3 of the August Photo Pages starting - HERE.

The tenth "Best Photo" of the year was also taken on August 9th while climbing from Tsugaike Kogen to Ooike (Big Pond) in Hakuba's Northern Alps Mountain Range (Japan). This photo shows Ooike (Big Pond) and the hut as well as some mountains in the background. More photos of this mountain and this area can be found on Pages 1, 2 and 3 of the August Photo Pages starting - HERE.

The eleventh "Best Photo" of the year was taken on August 10th while climbing from Ooike (Big Pond) to Mt. Shirouma (Shiroumadake) in Hakuba's Northern Alps Mountain Range (Japan). This flower is Linnaea borealis - twinflower. It is relatively rare in this area, so a real pleasure to see it. More photos of this flower can be found on Page 1 of the August Photo Pages starting in Row 21 - HERE.

The twelfth "Best Photo" of the year was taken on August 10th as we were climbing from Ooike Pond (Big Pond) to the summit of Mt. Shirouma (Shiroumadake. It is a stunning shot which shows Mt. Shakushi (Shakushidake) just to the left of center and Mt. Shirouma (Shiroumadake) to the right of center. This photo, as well as similar ones, can be found on Page 2 of the August Photo Pages, starting in Row 7 - HERE.

The thirteenth "Best Photo" of the year was also taken on August 10th as we were climbing from Ooike Pond (Big Pond) to the summit of Mt. Shirouma (Shiroumadake. It is a zoomed in shot which shows Mt. Shakushi (Shakushidake). This photo, as well as similar ones can be found on Page 2 of the August Photo Pages, starting in Row 7 - HERE.

The fourteenth "Best Photo" of the year was again taken on August 10th as we were climbing from Ooike Pond (Big Pond) to the summit of Mt. Shirouma (Shiroumadake. It is a zoomed in shot of some kind of hawk or falcon. This photo, as well as similar ones can be found on Page 2 of the August Photo Pages, starting in Row 20 - HERE.

The fifteenth "Best Photo" of the year was taken on August 31st from the summit of Mt. Takao. It shows the Blue Moon of August 2012. You can find several similar photos on Page 1 of the September Photo Pages, beginning in Row 6 - HERE.

The sixteenth "Best Photo" of the year was taken on November 10th near the Okutama Lake Visitor Center. This photo shows a Winter Cherry Blossom against some nice Autumn Yellow Colors. More photos from this adventure can be found on Page 2 of the November Photo Pages, starting in Row 8 - HERE.

The seventeenth "Best Photo" of the year shows Inamura Iwa (Iwa = rock) at Higashi Nippara. This fairly nice Autumn Color photo was taken on November 18th and it is a 2 shot panorama. More photos from this adventure can be found on Page 3 of the November Photo Pages, starting in Row 5 - HERE.

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The eighteenth "Best Photo" of the year was taken at Mitake on November 18th. It is the "Famous Ginkgo Tree". More photos taken in this area can be found Page 3 of the November Photo Pages, starting in Row 20 - HERE.

And now we are at the nineteenth and final "Best Photo" of the year. This photo was taken on December 8th at Jindai Botanical Garden. More photos from this adventure can be found on Page 2 of the December Photo Pages, starting at the top of the page - HERE.

Thanks so much for taking the time to look at this page of the nineteen best photos of 2012. I would love to hear from you - your opinion of the VERY BEST photo of the year - you don't have to limit your selection to these photos, you can choose from any photo posted on the website during 2012.

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