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This is Page 4 of 4 - the best of November 2010!
posted: November 30th, 2010 |
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We'll begin this page with a trip to Mt. Takao for Fall Colors on the 19th, go to Musashi-Itsukaichi on the 20th, for Fall Colors, and then go to Nogawa Park on the 21st - again, for Fall Colors. On November 26th and 27th we also went out on Fall Color tours. This is an incredible year for Fall Colors around the Tokyo Area. Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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  On Friday, November 19th, we went out and climbed Mt. Takao - in search of Fall Colors. These first 3 photos were taken at the base of the mountain. We should not have been surprised, but there were so many people out here today, despite the fact that it was not even a weekend day. On Mt. Takao there are not really many great fall colors except near the base and then, on the ridge past the summit - the maple trees on Momiji-dai.
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  These 3 photos were taken at Momiji-dai. The first photo was taken up on the ridge trail and the next 2 were taken on the trail down in the forest as we returned back to Mt. Takao after hiking out towards I-Ccho-Daira.
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  The first shot here was taken along the forest trail at Momiji-dai. The 2nd shot was taken at the summit of Mt. Takao.
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End November 19th, Begin November 20th
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  On November 20th - Saturday - we took the Okutama Holiday Special Train out to Musashi-Itsukaichi to see Fall Colors. The first shot in this row was taken near the train station, in fact, I was still standing in the station parking lot. We walked up the highway towards Hinohara. After a while we crossed a river and I took 2 photos and stitched them together into this single image (2nd position). After a while we saw this amazing grouping of colors shown in the 3rd shot.
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  We hiked to a Hot Spring, which we don't like to go to - due to their poor service, but we stopped there and took photos of the trail and we ate the lunch, which we took with us, on their grounds. We also soaked our feet in their free outdoor Foot Spa. The footbridge shown in all 3 of these photos goes into the Hot Spring grounds. Further up the highway there is a driveway too. The 2nd image is composed of 2 shots which were stitched together. The 3rd image is composed of 3 exposure-bracketed photos which have been Tone-Mapped with Photomatix Pro software, using the Tone-Compressor Option, and then combined into a single image.
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  These 3 shots were all taken on the grounds of the Hot Spring. Amazing colors aren't there!
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  The final 3 shots on the grounds of the Hot Spring - more amazing reds and yellows.
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End November 20th, Begin November 21st
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  On November 21st we went on our bicycles to Nogawa Park, only 15 minutes from our apartment. It is still too early for many colors right in this neighborhood, but there are some colors. This bush (1st and 2nd shots) looked practically like it was on fire! The 3rd shot is a Gentiana sp. with some kind of fly in it.
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  In first position is a closer shot of the Gentiana sp. with some kind of fly in it. In 2nd and 3rd position we see some nice yellows when looking through the Hamamelis sp. bushes.
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End November 21st, Begin November 26th
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  On Friday, November 26th, we went to Jindai Botanical Garden once again. Last time we were here (on November 12th) the Maple Garden had not even started turning color. On our way to Jindai Botanical Garden we passed through another small park - Chofu Park - and found colors good enough so that I was able to select the 3 photos in this row for inclusion.
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  We continued on to Jindai Botanical Garden and we could see from the rear entrance gate that the Maple Garden was well colored now. I hope you'll agree that the 3 shots in this row exhibit some incredible colors.
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  Here are 2 more shots of the Jindai Botanical Garden Maple Garden. The 2nd image is actually 2 shots which have been stitched together. The 3rd shot shows some very nice yellows.
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  The first 2 shots in this row show some nice yellows and oranges. The 2nd image is actually 3 shots, taken in portrait mode, which have been stitched together. The 3rd shot is the Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana) and this time please note that the leaves on the trees behind it are GONE - see Page 1, Rows 17 & 18 for a comparison shot. The angle is a bit different, but you can get the general idea.
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  The 1st and 3rd photos in this row are the Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) at Jindai Botanical Garden. Check back on page 1, Row 15, Center Photo and see how much the colors have changed here since November 6th. I like the sharp contrast between the brick red color of the Bald Cypress and the green color of the pine trees. The center photo in this row is a Praying Mantis laying its eggs.
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  Here is a final shot showing the contrast between the brick red color of the Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) and the green color of the pine branches. Note the attractive fence in the background too. The 2nd shot shows the pavilion at the Rose Garden. This is a nice place to shelter from the hot sun in the middle of summer, but even now there are people relaxing under the roof.
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End November 26th, Begin November 27th
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  On Saturday, the 27th, we went - first - to Sourousen-en Garden near Kokubunji, but the colors were not so good there yet. The only photo I have selected from there for inclusion is in center position (for balance) - it is a reflection on the pond. After we finished there we stopped at a Noodle Shop and ate lunch and after that we went to Tonogayato Garden in Kokubunji. The colors there were at their peak and most of the remaining photos on this page were taken there. In first position in this row is a fantastic shot of fall colors. In 3rd position is an image composed of two shots which have been stitched together.
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  Here are 3 more shots taken at Tonogayato Garden. The first photo shows such complexity in the colors and in the pattern of the colors and branches - to me this is amazing. The 2nd image is 2 shots stitched together. Note how they put a "girdle" on the pine trees. Kazuya explained that the reason for this is to attract any damaging insects which are in the tree. It is warmer under this band, so the insects go here to overwinter and then in about February the workers remove the "girdles" and burn them, therefore getting a lot of the insects too.
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  Here are 3 more Tonogayato Garden photos. The 2nd image is, once again, 2 photos which have been stitched together. It has also had the shadows and highlights adjusted and the "vibrance" increased in Photoshop.
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  The theme of this row seems to be "how is it possible for it to be so orange?"
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  A shot into a small pond with goldfish swimming by. Then a shot into a small fountain with some floating leaves. The final shot in this row is red and orange.
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  In this row is one final shot taken at Tonogayato Garden. When we finished there we headed for home via Musashino and Nogawa Parks. We followed the Nogawa (No River). The 2nd shot is reeds and Susuki grass along the Nogawa. The 3rd shot is an amazingly red tree in Musashino Park.
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  Here is a 2 shot panorama in first position. This was taken along the Nogawa (No River). The 2nd shot shows the path along the Nogawa which we followed. It also shows some amazingly colored Maple Trees. The 3rd shot is another image which is 2 shots that have been stitched together. It includes part of the same area covered by the first shot in this row.
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  In this final row, in 1st position you can find a shot of a beautiful yellow Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) - note that it is equally as gold under the tree as it is in the tree. The 2nd shot was taken right at the exit of Nogawa Park.
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End November 27th, End Page 4, End November 2010's Photos
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  Here are links to separate web pages - all of them will open in a new window (or new tab). The first link shows some photos of our DVD Collection, an AVI Movie of our Home Theater System and 9 photos of our Sharp Aquos TV. The 2nd link shows our entire DVD collection in DVD Profiler (if you're asking yourself what might be good to rent for the weekend). The DVD's will be sorted by date purchased. You can click on the "Title" Column to sort that way if you desire. The 3rd link shows our entire DVD collection in php DVD Profiler, which is much more sophisticated than the plain vanilla DVD Profiler just above it. The 4th link takes you to a set of pages which show you the FRONT cover-art of our entire DVD collection.
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 February 22, 2009 - DVD Collection & Home Theater System


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