danwiz.com
This is Page 2 of 3 - the best of January 2006!
posted: February 1st, 2006
Go To Page:

The photos on this page continue with January 1 (at 1:13 PM) - still at Mt. Zao - and continue through January 3rd - a trip to a mountain shrine in the snow. Click on any thumbnail to begin.

  This row contains 3 more shots of snow monsters. Aren't they amazing! Note the skiers in the backgrounds of the first 2 photos.
ZaoSanSummitJuHyo12RC.jpg
ZaoSanSummit
JuHyo12RC
ZaoSanSummitSnowMonsters13RC.jpg
ZaoSanSummit
SnowMonsters13RC
ZaoSanSummitJuHyo13RC.jpg
ZaoSanSummit
JuHyo13RC

  Three more shots of snow monsters - the 3rd shot is of one particularly ugly black jacketed monster!!
ZaoSanSummitSnowMonsters14RC.jpg
ZaoSanSummitSnow
Monsters14RC
ZaoSanSummitJuHyo14RC.jpg
ZaoSanSummit
JuHyo14RC
ZaoSanSummitJuHyoDaniel16RC.jpg
ZaoSanSummitJuHyo
Daniel16RC

  The first shot is the final one at the summit. The last 2 shots are from the ropeway on the way down.
ZaoSanSummitSnowMonsters16RC.jpg
ZaoSanSummit
SnowMonsters16RC
ZaoSanRopewayJu_Hyo09RC.jpg
ZaoSanRopeway
Ju_Hyo09RC
ZaoSanRopewayScene10RC.jpg
ZaoSanRopeway
Scene10RC

  Three more shots from inside the Gondola Car. Note the ski tracks.
ZaoSanRopewayJu_Hyo11RC.jpg
ZaoSanRopeway
Ju_Hyo11RC
ZaoSanRopewayJu_Hyo12RC.jpg
ZaoSanRopeway
Ju_Hyo12RC
ZaoSanRopewayJu_Hyo13RC.jpg
ZaoSanRopeway
Ju_Hyo13RC

  Three more shots from inside the Gondola Car - getting low enough on the mountain now so that there is some life other than skiers. Notice all of the rabbit tracks. The center shot is particularly fine.
ZaoSanRopewayJu_Hyo15RC.jpg
ZaoSanRopeway
Ju_Hyo15RC
ZaoSanRopewayScene_Tracks13RC.jpg
ZaoSanRopewayScene
_Tracks13RC
ZaoSanRopewayScene_Tracks15RC.jpg
ZaoSanRopewayScene
_Tracks15RC

  We saw this sunset on the way home from Mt. Zao. The 2nd shot is on January 2nd at Akinomiya Hot Spring, a nice hot spring where Kazuya's family took us on the 2nd. The 3rd shot is January 3rd. We went - by ourselves via train - to Yama Dera, which means Mountain Shrine. This map of the various Shrine Buildings was inside the train station. I know you can't make out much, but notice that there are all of these little buildings on the side of a big mountain. We hiked around on that mountain in the DEEP SNOW!
FunagataSunset03RAWRC.jpg
FunagataSunset03
RAWRC
AkinomiyaHotSpring01RAWRC.jpg
AkinomiyaHotSpring
01RAWRC
Yama_Dera_Station02RC.jpg
Yama_Dera_
Station02RC

  These 3 shots show the entryway to the Main Shrine.
YamaDeraAreaDaniel07RC.jpg
YamaDeraAreaDaniel07RC
YamaDeraArea05RC.jpg
YamaDeraArea05RC
YamaDeraAreaShrine09RC.jpg
YamaDeraAreaShrine09RC

  The first shot shows their big bell. The 2nd shot shows the place where you have to pay the money and they give you some rubber boots and some lengths of rope to tie around them for traction. The 3rd shot is a little ways up the trail.
YamaDeraAreaShrine11RC.jpg
YamaDeraAreaShrine11RC
Yama_DeraEntrance08RC.jpg
Yama_DeraEntrance08RC
YamaDeraMountain13RC.jpg
YamaDeraMountain13RC

  Three shots along the trail. Notice that the 2nd photo is a zoom shot of the 3rd photo. See all those small caves? Kazuya said that there are probably dead monks and/or monks bones in many of those caves.
Yama_DeraClimb09RC.jpg
Yama_DeraClimb09RC
Yama_DeraClimb12RC.jpg
Yama_DeraClimb12RC
YamaDeraMountain19RC.jpg
YamaDeraMountain19RC

  Ah, the snow comes again! In the first shot look closely to find the small shrine at the base of the big rock. The 2nd shot is over the roof of one shrine and you can see another in the background. The 3rd shot is from near the summit, looking down on the town area.
Yama_DeraClimb15RC.jpg
Yama_DeraClimb15RC
YamaDeraMountain25RC.jpg
YamaDeraMountain25RC
Yama_DeraClimb16RC.jpg
Yama_DeraClimb16RC

Thanks so much for taking the time to look, please go to page 3 now. You'll find more pictures from Yamagata Prefecture and also additional places. Go To Page:


Purchase Photos Complete List Of All Photos E-mail us Go to the Special Items Page
Top Of Page Lightbox Instructions Comprehensive Site Map Return to our home page



Link to Amazon.com (new window).
We get 2% of whatever you spend if you go to Amazon from this link!! Please shop on Amazon from here.
If you would like to donate to our hiking & traveling fund or show your appreciation for our efforts you can donate through PayPal. A single donation will entitle you to request a single full-sized photo IN THE DONATION MONTH - which you may then use as a desktop wallpaper or whatever. The copyright will be retained by us and the photo will be inconspicuously marked with the copyright symbol (©), year and photographer's name. (Donation probably not tax deductible.)