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posted: November 30th, 2009 |
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This page actually begins with October 31st - a trip to Showa Kinen Park - and takes you through November 7th - a trip to Jindai Botanical Garden. Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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| Begin October 31st |
On October 31st Kazuya and I went out to Showa-Kinen Park in Nishi-Tachikawa. It only takes about 20 minutes on the train from our station to Nishi-Tachikawa Station and then a 3 minute walk from the station to the park. We went there hoping to see some fairly good fall colors. We were satisfied with what we saw, but the colors were not yet exquisite. Here are 3 photos taken near the pond which is quite near the entrance gate. This is the first thing you see when you enter the park.
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In the Herb Garden they had some Saffron (Crocus sativus) planted and blooming. This was the first time we'd ever seen saffron flowers. Those little red threads which you can see in the photos (the dried stigma) are what is sold for $30 U.S. for 3 grams.
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The Cosmos Hill which we usually go to at this time of the year (see October 2007's Photos - Page 2 of 3, Rows 11 & 12 HERE) was wiped out this year by the typhoon 2 or 3 weeks ago, so they had already plowed it up - that was disappointing. Anyway, here are a few shots of Cosmos Flowers in the big lawn area.
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Here is a final Cosmos photo and then 2 Fall Color shots which we took in the Japanese Garden area of the park.
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Here are 3 more photos taken in the Japanese Garden part of the park. These photos show pretty good fall colors.
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These photos were also taken in the Japanese Garden part of the park. The 1st photo exhibits some nice color. The 2nd and 3rd photos are a boat floating in the pond which they filled with Chrysanthemums.
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Here is one more shot of the "Chrysanthemum Boat". The 2nd and 3rd shots are in the Bonsai Garden part of the Japanese Garden. The 2nd shot is a Bonsai Maple (Acer sp.) tree. The thrid shot is a Bonsai Persimmon (Diospyros sp.) Tree.
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The first shot in this row is a fine example of Euonymus alatus f. striatus. The 2nd shot is a Chinese Quince (Chaenomeles sinensis) tree and the 3rd and final shot of the day is the exit area of Showa Kinen Park.
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| End October 31st, Begin November 7th |
On Saturday, November 7th, we had a plan to go out to Okutama and check on the fall colors out there. We took the bus to Mitaka Station and when we got there we found that there was a partial suspension of train service on our line due to construction. It would have made the normal 1 hour journey end up being well over 2 hours, so we decided to walk to Inokashira Park and see what was happening there for fall colors. Well, when we got to Inokashira Park we found very little fall color, but we did find some ducks and other waterfowl. The first photo, by Kazuya, shows you an Aythya fuligula or Tufted Duck. The 2nd shot is a Nycticorax nycticorax or Black-Crowned Night Heron. The 3rd shot is a Aythya ferina or Common Pochard. That's all we found of interest in Inokashira Park.
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We came back home and relaxed for a while and then we went over to Jindai Botanical Garden to see the Chrysanthemum display. WOW! The 1st shot is an interesting Chrysanthemum display, eh? The 2nd photo here is a shot of the "Chrysanthemum Waterfall", an attraction they have every year. This is a mid-morning shot when it was still partly in shadow. There is a better shot later on in the afternoon, but I wanted to show you this one. The 3rd shot is a weird one.
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Here are 2 more shots of pretty amazing Chrysanthemums. The 3rd shot is the obligatory shot of the Pampas Grass clump which must be taken when we visit Jindai Botanical Garden at this time of the year!
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Here are some nicely colored Persimmon Leaves and then a shot of a Fall Cherry Blossom (Cerasus autumnalis). The 3rd shot is another Fall Cherry Blossom (Cerasus autumnalis)
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On the way out of the Park we discovered this area of Bonsai Chrysanthemums which we had missed when we entered. This shot has been cropped and vignetted. It's amazing how they do this. The 2nd, and final shot, is the Chrysanthemum Waterfall in the afternoon sun. This photo has been cropped and then framed.
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| End November 7th, End Page 1 |
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2010 USA (173 KB) and Japanese (183 KB) Refrigerator Door Size Calendar PDF's |
| Thanks so much for taking the time to look at this page. Now, please go on to Page 2 for the continuation of this month's adventures. |
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