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posted: December 31st, 2009 |
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This page includes 2 climbs of Mt. Takao, one by me alone on December 19th and one with Kazuya on the 20th - we were searching for Frost Flowers - and we found them. Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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| Begin December 19th |
Every year either during December or else during January we go out and search for FROST FLOWERS. These occur here in Japan on the stems of Keiskea japonica, in your country they may occur on a different plant. Knowledge of the formation of these amazing "flowers" is not well understood, but the best and most complete knowledge about them appears to be most concisely summarized here
(CLICK - will open in new window). Note that the ice is coming OUT OF a plant stem. A Google search for "Frost flowers" will give you more results than you want to look at. A search from our homepage for Frost Flowers will give you several results of our own from previous years. These things are SO AMAZING!
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 Dec19_ICchoDaira _Frost_Flower16RC |
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Here are 2 more shots of Frost Flowers. The first shot shows an "overview" of a small area. The 2nd shot shows a close-up of a single frost flower. The 3rd shot is a photo of Mt. Fuji from the highest point of the I-Ccho-Daira. By the way, if you are asking why I went out alone today, it is because Kazuya had to work.
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 Dec19_ICchoDaira _Frost_Flower61RC |
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Well, gauging from the number of big cameras and tripods set up on the summit of Mt. Takao I rather assumed that this was to be the day of "Diamond Fuji" - the day that the sun sets directly behind the summit of Mt. Fuji from this location. So, I waited a while and sure enough I guessed correctly. The first shot here was taken at 4:02:21 PM, the 2nd shot at 4:11:45 PM and the 3rd shot at 4:12:02 PM.
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Here are 3 more shots of the sun setting directly behind the summit of Mt. Fuji - the famous "Diamond Fuji" phenomenon. The first shot was taken at 4:12:19 PM, the 2nd shot at 4:12:37 PM and the 3rd shot at 4:12:48 PM.
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Here are my final 2 shots of Diamond Fuji. The first one was taken at 4:12:56 PM, with many people going "ooooohhhh" and "aaaahhhhh" and cheering. The 2nd shot was taken at 4:13:01 PM. And, that's it for the 19th.
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| End December 19th, Begin December 20th |
The next day, December 20th, Kazuya and I went out to Mt. Takao together for Frost Flowers! My trip the previous day had been useful as a reconnaissance trip to find the precise spots where the largest frost flowers were. Here are 2 shots of a very photogenic Mt. Fuji from the summit of Mt. Takao, and then we headed for I-Ccho-Daira to photograph the frost flowers. The 3rd shot is a very strange and interesting frost flower.
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Here are 3 more amazing frost flowers. Precisely how does this happen. I really wonder if anybody has ever done any time-lapse photography of this phenomenon? Do you know? If you ever find any please let me know.
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Here are 3 more amazing shots of frost flowers.
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Here is another "overview" shot, followed by 2 really amazing shots of a very complex frost flower.
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The first 2 shots here are of the same frost flower, but taken from a slightly different angle.
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Here are 2 more frost flowers.
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These final 2 frost flower shots appear to be the same flower, taken from different angles, one by Kazuya and one by me.
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Here are the final 3 shots from December 20th. The first shot is a fine red pine against a beautiful blue sky. The 2nd one is a shot of a Pampas Grass seed head on the mountain and the 3rd shot is just some leafless tree branches against a stunningly blue sky.
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| End December 20th, End Page 2 |
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2010 USA (173 KB) and Japanese (183 KB) Refrigerator Door Size Calendar PDF's |
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| Thanks so much for taking the time to look at this page. Now, please go on to Page 3 for the conclusion of this month's adventures, a list and chart of Mountains Climbed in 2009 and the 4 BEST PHOTOS OF 2009. |
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