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posted: December 31st, 2012 |
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This page begins with December 8th and a trip to Jindai Botanical Garden and also a park near Jindai Botanical Garden which I just call Chofu Park. Then we go to December 24th and a climb of Mt. Takao for the viewing of "Diamond Fuji". This is the term which is used on the day of the year (generally the Winter Solstice) when the sun drops down directly behind the center of Mt. Fuji. The weather was cloudy on the 21st when I went to see "Diamond Fuji", so I returned on the 24th and did the best I could. The weather was not clear, but there are a few interesting shots. This page also includes a list of all mountains that either I alone, or we (Kazuya and I together), climbed in 2012. Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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| Begin December 8th |
On December 8th we went to Jindai Botanical Garden on our bicycles to try and find some fall colors - and we succeeded! Although a large percentage of the leaves were already lying on the ground, we found some individual trees which were still very nice. The first shot in this row shows the fruits of the Sapindus mukorossi tree against a nice blue sky. The 2nd and 3rd shots show autumn colors in the maple trees.
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Here is a shot of the sun shining through the red tree leaves. That is followed by a shot of Kazuya under a maple tree. The 3rd shot shows some nice reds and yellows.
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The first shot shows Daniel under a red-leaved maple tree. That is followed by more shots of red and yellow leaves.
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Some very nice reds and yellows show up in these 3 shots.
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Reds, yellows, oranges and an interesting angle on a small cluster of yellow leaves.
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Two more closer shots of the yellow maple leaves followed by an amazing red and yellow shot.
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In the first shot in this row you can get an idea, on the left, how many leaves are already gone.
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Amazing colors, right?
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A nice red & yellow maple tree.
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This shot of ornamental cabbages was taken at the entrance to the tropical greenhouse. Do they grow these weird cabbage plants in your country? In the 2nd shot you can, once again, get an idea of how many leaves have already fallen.
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In the 2nd shot in this row you can once again get an idea of how many leaves have already fallen. By the way, in case you had not noticed it, we have left Jindai Botanical Garden and have gone to a park which is very close to Jindai Botanical Garden. I just call this Chofu Park, I don't know the real Japanese name of it.
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More nice colors in Chofu Park.
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The 3 final shots taken in Chofu Park - red, yellow and orange.
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These 2 images are the same photo - taken near J-Mart, on our way home. J-Mart is similar to K-Mart in the U.S.A. This is a persimmon tree (Diospyros virginiana) with beautiful ripe orange fruits on it. In the 2nd image I replaced the blue sky with gray to bring out the brilliant orange color of the persimmons.
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These 2 images are also the same photo - same treatment as above. This is a Chinese Quince tree (Pseudocydonia sinensis).
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| End December 8th, Begin December 24th |
I went out to Takao and climbed Mt. Takao on both December 21st and also on December 24th. Of course the 21st was the Winter Solstice. On that day the sun sets directly behind Mt. Fuji in a phenomenon known in Japan as "Diamond Fuji" because there is often a diamond effect to the setting sun. Well, on the 21st it was 100% cloudy and not only could Mt. Fuji not be seen, but also - you could not even see the sun. On the 24th it was a little better and I have selected a few photos which are somewhat interesting. In this first row are 3 photographs of a Pyrrhula pyrrhula - the Eurasian Bullfinch - a very beautiful bird. I think I was the only person there who saw this bird sitting in a tree. I had to zoom to the maximum ability of my lens, so these photos are not great, but it's a very pretty bird. The first image shows all 3 photos which I kept, cropped and put into a collage. The 2nd photo shows the entire photo from which the 2nd image in the collage was created.
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In these 3 photos it is fast approaching sunset time. Mt. Fuji, if it were visible, would be just about in the center of the center photo. The time of the first photo was 3:58 PM, the 2nd was 4:07 PM and the 3rd one was taken at 4:16 PM
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In this photo (these are the same photo) you can see Mt. Fuji, but it is so vague that I have outlined it in the 2nd image so that you can find it. This photo was taken at 4:17 PM. Note that, because this is the 24th, the sun is setting to the right side of Mt. Fuji. If you want to see some much more amazing photos of "Diamond Fuji" then I suggest that you take a look at one of the following pages:the December 27, 2008 photos HERE; the December 19, 2009 photos HERE; the December 23, 2010 photos HERE; the December 25, 2010 photos HERE or the December 26, 2011 photos HERE. Possibly, the single best photo is THIS ONE if you just want to see a single photo of the "Diamond Fuji" phenomenon. It was taken on December 19th, 2009. |
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Here are 2 more photos of "Diamond Fuji" - the 3rd photo is the same as the 2nd one, but it is annotated so that you can again find Mt. Fuji. The first photo was taken at 4:21 PM and the 2nd one was taken at 4:22 PM.
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| End December 24th, End Page 2, End December 2012's Photos, Begin Mountains Climbed in 2012 |
Here you can find a list of all the mountains which we, or I alone, climbed during Calendar Year 2012. Note that 49 mountains were climbed during 2012 - although not 49 different ones. Numbers in parenthesis (e.g. #72) indicate the number of times I have climbed that mountain since I've been in Japan.
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| Mountains Climbed in 2012 | ||||||
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| No. | Date | Mountain Name | Elev., Ft. | Elev., M. | Location | |
| 1 | Jan-15-2012 | Mt. Takao (#72) | 1,965 | 599 | Tokyo | |
| 2 | Mar-25-2012 | Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro-yama (#29) | 2,199 | 670 | Tokyo | |
| 3 | Mar-25-2012 | Mt. Takao (#73) | 1,965 | 599 | Tokyo | |
| 4 | Apr-01-2012 | Mt. Kagenobu-yama (#9) | 2,385 | 727 | Tokyo | |
| 5 | Apr-01-2012 | Mt. Nakazawa | 1,621 | 494 | Tokyo | |
| 6 | Apr-21-2012 | Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro-yama (#30) | 2,199 | 670 | Tokyo | |
| 7 | Apr-21-2012 | Mt. Takao (#74) | 1,965 | 599 | Tokyo | |
| 8 | Apr-29-2012 | Mt. Tenjo | 3,740 | 1,140 | Yamanashi Prefecture | |
| 9 | May-06-2012 | Ogouchi Pass (#2) | 3,445 | 1,050 | Tokyo | |
| 10 | May-06-2012 | Mt. Sougaku (#5) | 4,400 | 1,341 | Tokyo | |
| 11 | May-06-2012 | Mt. Gozen (#5) | 4,610 | 1,405 | Tokyo | |
| 12 | May-11-2012 | Saiguchi Pass | 3,747 | 1,142 | Tokyo | |
| 13 | May-11-2012 | Mt. Mito (West) | 5,002 | 1,525 | Tokyo | |
| 14 | May-11-2012 | Mt. Osawa | 4,862 | 1,482 | Tokyo | |
| 15 | May-11-2012 | Mt. Makiyose (#2) | 3,898 | 1,188 | Tokyo | |
| 16 | May-12-2012 | Mt. Mitake (#33) | 3,048 | 929 | Tokyo | |
| 17 | May-12-2012 | Okunoin Peak (#4) | ~3,281 | ~1,000 | Tokyo | |
| 18 | May-12-2012 | Nabe-Wari Mtn. | 3,556 | 1,084 | Tokyo | |
| 19 | May-12-2012 | Ohtake Mtn. (#6) | 4,155 | 1,267 | Tokyo | |
| 20 | May-19-2012 | Mt. Mae-Kesamaru | 6,162 | 1,878 | Gunma Prefecture | |
| 21 | May-19-2012 | Mt. Ato-Kesamaru | 6,260 | 1,908 | Gunma Prefecture | |
| 22 | June-02-2012 | Mt. Takao (#75) | 1,965 | 599 | Tokyo | |
| 23 | June-08-2012 | Mt. Akadake (#3) | 9,511 | 2,899 | Nagano/Yamanashi | |
| 24 | June-09-2012 | Mt. Sansha (#3) | 9,268 | 2,825 | Nagano/Yamanashi | |
| 25 | June-09-2012 | Mt. Yokodake (#3) | 9,281 | 2,829 | Nagano/Yamanashi | |
| 26 | June-09-2012 | Mt. Iodake (#3) | 9,055 | 2,760 | Nagano/Yamanashi | |
| 27 | July-27-2012 | Mt. Takao (#76) | 1,965 | 599 | Tokyo | |
| 28 | July-29-2012 | Mt. Mitake (#34) | 3,048 | 929 | Tokyo | |
| 29 | Aug-03-2012 | Mt. Takao (#77) | 1,965 | 599 | Tokyo | |
| 30 | Aug-09-2012 | Mt. Norikuradake (#2) | 7,994 | 2,437 | Nagano Prefecture | |
| 31 | Aug-10-2012 | Mt. Korenge (#2) | 9,075 | 2,766 | Nagano Prefecture | |
| 32 | Aug-11-2012 | Mt. Shiroumadake (#2) | 9,620 | 2,932 | Nagano Prefecture | |
| 33 | Aug-12-2012 | Mt. Shakushidake (#2) | 9,226 | 2,812 | Nagano Prefecture | |
| 34 | Aug-12-2012 | Mt. Yarigatake (#2) | 9,525 | 2,903 | Nagano Prefecture | |
| 35 | Aug-14-2012 | Sanpei Pass | 5,781 | 1,762 | Gunma Prefecture | |
| 36 | Aug-24-2012 | Mt. Takao (#78) | 1,965 | 599 | Tokyo | |
| 37 | Aug-24-2012 | Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro-yama (#31) | 2,199 | 670 | Tokyo | |
| 38 | Aug-31-2012 | Mt. Takao (#79) | 1,965 | 599 | Tokyo | |
| 39 | Sep-07-2012 | Mt. Takao (#80) | 1,965 | 599 | Tokyo | |
| 40 | Sep-14-2012 | Mt. Takao (#81) | 1,965 | 599 | Tokyo | |
| 41 | Sep-14-2012 | Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro-yama (#32) | 2,199 | 670 | Tokyo | |
| 42 | Sep-16-2012 | Mt. Takao (#82) | 1,965 | 599 | Tokyo | |
| 43 | Sep-16-2012 | Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro-yama (#33) | 2,199 | 670 | Tokyo | |
| 44 | Oct-12-2012 | Mt. Takao (#83) | 1,965 | 599 | Tokyo | |
| 45 | Oct-20-2012 | Mt. Fuji (5th Station) | 7,562 | 2,305 | Yamanashi Prefecture | |
| 46 | Nov-09-2012 | Mt. Takao (#84) | 1,965 | 599 | Tokyo | |
| 47 | Nov-09-2012 | Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro-yama (#34) | 2,199 | 670 | Tokyo | |
| 48 | Dec-21-2012 | Mt. Takao (#85) | 1,965 | 599 | Tokyo | |
| 49 | Dec-24/2012 | Mt. Takao (#86) | 1965 | 599 | Tokyo | |
 Mountains Climbed in 2012 |
| End Mountains Climbed, Begin Miscellaneous Material |
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