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posted: June 1st, 2009 |
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This page starts with May 9th and goes through the end of the day on May 15th - Mt. Takao, Mt. Mitake and a climb of Mt. Kumotori, the tallest peak in Tokyo (2,017.7 m = 6,620 ft.). Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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| Begin May 9th |
On May 9th Kazuya and I hiked up Hikage Creek to the summit of Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro (670 m = 2,199 ft) and then along the ridge to Mt. Takao (599 m = 1,965 ft) and then down Mt. Takao. We found that the spring flowers are about ending and the summer flowers are starting to bloom. The first shot here is Hikage Creek, near the bus stop where we started our hike. The 2nd shot is a Viola verecunda and the 3rd shot is an unknown bush with beautiful white flowers.
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Here is a beautiful shot of a butterfly, taken by Kazuya. The 2nd shot is scenery towards I-Ccho-Daira from the Hikage Creek Trail. The 3rd shot is an orchid (Cephalanthera falcata) at I-Ccho-Daira.
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 May9th_Hikage_MtTakao45 _Cephalanthera_falcataRC |
In 1st and 3rd position are shots of a very strangely shaped flower - Aristolochia debilis. In center position is another shot of that orchid (Cephalanthera falcata). That's all for May 9th.
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 May09_TakaoSan08_ Aristolochia_debilisRC |
 May09_TakaoSan06_ Cephalanthera_falcataRC |
 May09_TakaoSan16_ Aristolochia_debilisRC |
| End May 9th, Begin May 10th |
On May 10th we went out to Mitake and to the summit of Mt. Mitake and then hiked the Ootaru Pass Trail down to Okutama and soaked in the Hot Spring there for about 1.5 hours. The first shot here is from Mt. Mitake. The 2nd shot is a beautiful old grass roof, with flowers growing on it. The 3rd shot is the same grass roof, but from a bit higher elevation, showing more of the surrounding homes and inns at Mt. Mitake.
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The 1st and 3rd shots show a waterfall we found along this seldom used trail. We assume that the 2nd shot is Ootaru Pass, although there was no sign identifying it as such (the 1st and 2nd shots are reversed for the purpose of landscape mode and portrait mode balance).
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The sign on this tree says that it is 500 years old - really? Did somebody actually use an increment borer and count the rings, or is it a semi-educated guess on somebody's part? Anyway, it's big and old! The 2nd shot is a scenic shot going down the trail into Okutama. The 3rd shot is a Viola sieboldi f. variegata - note the variegated leaves. And, that's all for May 10th.
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 May10th_MitakeOotaruPass080_ Viola_sieboldi_f_variegataRC |
| End May 10th, Begin May 15th |
On May 15th and 16th Kazuya and I climbed Mt. Kumotori (2,017 m = 6,620 ft) for the 6th time, and spent the night in the summit hut. It was a 7 hour hike to the summit. The remainder of this page shows you some of the best shots of the climb. The first shot here shows you how incredibly green it was at the lower elevations. The 2nd shot is the first of many deer which we saw. The 3rd shot is a Japanese Monkey - we saw a large size troop of these critters and this one was quite cooperative in letting us photograph him.
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Here is one more shot of that same monkey. The 2nd shot shows a view of the hardwood forest we hiked through for a while and the 3rd shot is a distant shot showing Mt. Fuji - still VERY snow covered.
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To get to Mt. Kumotori we passed over Mt. Nanatsu-ishi (1,757 m = 5,765 ft). The first shot in this row shows the final approach to Mt. Nanatsu-ishi through a Japanese Larch stand. The 2nd shot shows Mt. Kumotori from Mt. Nanatsu-ishi. The 3rd shot zooms in to the summit hut on Mt. Kumotori.
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 May15_MtKumotoriClimb029_ Nanatsu_IshiRC |
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The first shot here shows you a Viburnum furcatum flower. The 2nd shot is looking back to the summit of Mt. Nanatsu-ishi and the 3rd shot is another shot of Viburnum furcatum.
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The 1st shot is a nice view from the trail, the 2nd shot of a wind bent Larch tree and the 3rd shot shows me standing on the trail. You'll notice that it was T-shirt weather while we were hiking.
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The first photo here is a beautiful one of clouds, trees and snags. The 2nd shot is a Tarsiger cyanurus and the 3rd shot shows the summit hut getting quite close. We were somewhat worried that the hut would be packed with people, but there were only 2 others besides ourselves (total 4 people). We were fortunate.
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 May15_KamosawaMtKumotori 100_Clouds_TreesRC |
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Here is a scenic shot showing the summit sign, a shot of Kazuya standing beside the summit sign and then a shot showing 3 deer looking at us with much curiosity.
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All 3 shots in this row show deer. The first shot shows 1 deer staring at us. The 2nd shot shows 3 deer staring intently at something which we could not see and the 3rd shot shows 4 deer a little ways down below the summit. In the 2nd shot you might notice a net fence - it is a deer exclosure (keeps the deer out for scientific study of vegetation).
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The first shot here shows 4 horizons of mountains. The 2nd shot is sunset - it was not much to see compared to other sunsets we have seen & photographed here. The 3rd shot shows a buck deer which was staring at us while we sat on the porch of the summit hut later in the evening. This final shot was taken at ISO 1600, so it is grainy.
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 May15_MtKumotori Climb113_4HorizonsRC |
 May15_MtKumotoriClimb 115_SunsetRC |
 May15_MtKumotoriClimb 124_DeerRC |
| End May 15th, End Page 2 |
This is a link to a separate web page showing some photos of our DVD Collection, an AVI Movie of our Home Theater System and 9 photos of our Sharp Aquos TV.
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| February 22, 2009 DVD Collection, Movie of Home Theater System & Sharp Aquos TV Pictures (new window) |
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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. |
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