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posted: May 31st, 2013 |
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This page begins with May 3rd while we were waiting at Tokyo Station to take the Yamagata Shinkansen to Kazuya's hometown - Funagata, in Yamagata Prefecture. Then we jump to May 4th and a trip to Tsuruoka's Ooyama Park and a climb of a very minor peak - Mt. Takadate. The next day, May 5th, covers a hike to Funagata's Sabane-yama (Mt. Sabane) - another very minor peak. And, the final date on this page - Kazuya takes you to Mt. Mitake on May 12th. Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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| Begin May 3rd |
The newest Shinkansen Train Series - here is the E6, the "Japan Red". The nose of the E5 and E6 Series, at 15 meters, is a massive 9 meters longer than the previous incarnation of the bullet train (Shinkansen), the E2 Series. This, according to its designers at JR East, will help eliminate the phenomena of "tunnel boom". Japan's rail tunnels are somewhat narrower than their
European counterparts, so when the Shinkansen enters a tunnel at speeds above 200 kilometers per hour, the sudden increase in air pressure can cause a loud "boom" at the other end of the tunnel. In some cases, such shock waves are thought to have damaged tunnels in Japan, ripping chunks of material from tunnel ceilings. The shape of the front car has evolved gradually to combat this danger,
and the striking "Long Nose" design of the E5 and E6 Series is the result. (I believe that the only difference between the E5 and the E6 is the color.) These new trains can manage an energetic 360 km/h
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 May03_3_JapanRed _ShinkansenRC |
 May03_4_JapanRed _ShinkansenRC |
| End May 3rd, Begin May 4th |
On May 4th Kazuya's father took us in his car to Tsuruoka, where we wanted to find some flowers. We went there and climbed a very minor mountain in Ooyama Park - Mt. Takadate - only about 250 meters in elevation. In this row are 3 photos of Viola kusanoana, which were taken as we climbed Mt. Takadate.
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 May04_01_Tsuruoka _Viola_kusanoanaRC |
 May04_02_Tsuruoka _Viola_kusanoanaRC |
 May04_06_Tsuruoka _Viola_kusanoanaRC |
In this row, in 1st and 2nd position are photos of Viola faurieana, a violet which we have only found once or twice before this. In 3rd position is a beautiful example of Viola violacea var. makinoi.
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 May4th_OoyamaParkTsuruoka 020_ViolaFaurieanaRC |
 May4th_OoyamaParkTsuruoka 021_ViolaFaurieanaRC |
 May04_14_Tsuruoka_Viola _violacea_var_makinoiRC |
In 1st and 3rd position in this row are 2 more examples of Viola faurieana. In center position is the beautiful light green spring forest - this is a Beech (Fagus sp.) and Maple (Acer sp.) forest.
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 May04_23_Tsuruoka _Viola_faurieanaRC |
 May04_28_Tsuruoka _ForestSceneryRC |
 May04_24_Tsuruoka _Viola_faurieanaRC |
In first and third position in this row are shots of Viola rostrata - notice the incredibly long flower spur. In the center is another shot of the beautiful light green spring forest - this is a Beech (Fagus sp.) and Maple (Acer sp.) forest.
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 May04_34_Tsuruoka _Viola_rostrataRC |
 May04_31_Tsuruoka _ForestSceneryRC |
 May04_37_Tsuruoka _Viola_rostrataRC |
In 1st and 3rd position in this row are shots of Viola kusanoana X Viola rostrata, of course a hybrid. In the center is a nice shot of Glaucidium palmatum - something which we see only quite rarely.
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 May04_44_Tsuruoka_Viola_ kusanoana_X_V_rostrataRC |
 May04_41_Tsuruoka_ Glaucidium_palmatumRC |
 May04_46_Tsuruoka_Viola_ kusanoana_X_V_rostrataRC |
In 1st and 3rd positions in this row are examples of Asarum megacalyx - wonder how it got that species name (joking). In center position is a Viola rostrata.
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 May4th_OoyamaParkTsuruoka 057_AsarumMegacalyxRC |
 May04_52_Tsuruoka _Viola_rostrataRC |
 May04_54_Tsuruoka _Asarum_spRC |
Here is another shot of Glaucidium palmatum, another shot of Viola rostrata and a shot of Viola vaginata.
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 May04_63_Tsuruoka _Glaucidium_palmatumRC |
 May4th_OoyamaParkTsuruoka 081_ViolaRostrataRC |
 May04_72_Tsuruoka _Viola_vaginataRC |
Here is an overview shot of Viola rostrata and then a 3 shot panorama of Shimoike (=Lower Pond). Hmmm, we did not see an upper pond. In 3rd position is a shot of a waterfall which we found at a rest stop as we returned from Tsuruoka to Kazuya's home in Funagata later in the day.
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 May04_79_Tsuruoka _Viola_rostrataRC |
 May04_81_82_83_Panorama _Tsuruoka_BigPondRC |
 May4th_KomeNo KoNoTaki111RC |
These 2 shots were taken from the window of Kazuya's father's car as we returned home over a mountain pass. There's still an abundance of snow at this elevation on May 4th.
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 May04_88_ FromCarWindowRC |
 May04_92_ FromCarWindowRC |
| End May 4th, Begin May 5th |
Now it's May 5th and we decided to hang out around this area today. We'll walk up the highway from Kazuya's house and then follow a small road up to Sabane-yama, where there are many types of wildflowers and a shrine. In this row the first shot is a white colored Anemone pseudoaltaica and that is followed by 2 shots of Erythronium japonicum (Trout Lily).
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 May05_002_Sabaneyama _Anemone_pseudoaltaicaRC |
 May05_011_Sabaneyama _Erythronium_japonicumRC |
 May05_022_Sabaneyama _Erythronium_japonicumRC |
In this row the photo in 1st position shows a pinkish colored Heloniopsis orientalis - they are generally pinkish, but also come in many different colors. The 2nd shot is a Viola vaginata and the 3rd shot shows another shot of Anemone pseudoaltaica. This is a relatively large patch of the blue flowered type. Every year this patch of blue ones gets larger, and this year was no exception. We took many photos of this large patch of flowers and will show you several of them.
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 May05_025_Sabaneyama _Heloniopsis_orientalisRC |
 May05_034_Sabaneyama _Viola_vaginataRC |
 May5th_Funagata045 _AnemonePseudoaltaicaRC |
Last month I showed some photos of a rubbish covered beach, this month I'm showing a photo of a pile of old tires abandoned at the edge of a field. I'm going to try and show at least one photo each month of garbage, litter, trash, rubbish or whatever you want to call it. I hope that somebody somewhere in Japanese government will eventually take note! The 2nd and 3rd shots show a small portion of the patch of blue-colored Anemone pseudoaltaica which we showed you in the 3rd photo of the previous row.
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 May05_035_Sabane yama_GarbageRC |
 May5th_Funagata049 _AnemonePseudoaltaicaRC |
 May05_038_Sabaneyama _Anemone_pseudoaltaicaRC |
Here are 3 more shots taken at that large clump of Anemone pseudoaltaica you saw in 3rd position in Row 12.
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 May5th_Funagata066 _AnemonePseudoaltaicaRC |
 May05_051_Sabaneyama _Anemone_pseudoaltaicaRC |
 May05_062_Sabaneyama _Anemone_pseudoaltaicaRC |
In this row are 3 shots of Heloniopsis orientalis. The first shot shows a whitish-colored one while the 2nd and 3rd shots show pinkish-colored flowers. As I said above, the pinkish-colored ones are the most common.
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 May05_064_Sabaneyama _Heloniopsis_orientalisRC |
 May05_065_Sabaneyama _Heloniopsis_orientalisRC |
 May05_074_Sabaneyama _Heloniopsis_orientalisRC |
Here are 3 shots of a new plant/flower for us! We had NEVER seen this before. It is Omphalodes krameri - found at Sabane-yama. Kazuya climbed up this steep road-cut to get the first 2 shots and I stayed at the bottom and zoomed in as much as I could for the 3rd shot. As you can easily note, the macro shots are much better than the extremely zoomed-in shot.
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 May5th_Funagata093 _OmphalodesKrameriRC |
 May5th_Funagata094 _OmphalodesKrameriRC |
 May05_076_Sabaneyama _Omphalodes_spRC |
Here is a shot of a pure white Heloniopsis orientalis and that's followed by 2 shots of the very long-spurred Viola rostrata. The text under those 2 final shots is an error - it is not necessary to say "var. japonica".
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 May05_081_Sabaneyama _Heloniopsis_orientalisRC |
 May5th_Funagata110_ ViolaRostrataVarJaponicaRC |
 May5th_Funagata111_ ViolaRostrataVarJaponicaRC |
Every year we come here at about this same date - for the past 5 or 6 years - and every year the spring flowers come later. Last year we found a great abundance of Epigaea asiatica, as shown in the 1st shot, this year it was scarce and just starting to open its flowers. The 2nd and 3rd shots are Magnolia kabus and generally it is finished when we come here on the first weekend of May. This year it was still in very good condition. In past years the Cherry Trees have been in full bloom when we have been here (see last year's index page - a mouseover image - HERE. This year the first cherry blossoms had not even opened yet!
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 May05_094_Sabaneyama _Epigaea_asiaticaRC |
 May05_099_Sabaneyama _Magnolia_kabusRC |
 May05_100_Sabaneyama _Magnolia_kabusRC |
Here is a shot of Kazuya shooting a violet - look at all the snow remaining along this abandoned forest road. The 2nd shot shows both a Trout Lily (Erythronium japonicum) and a Viola vaginata. A nice shot.
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 May05_102_Sabane yama_SceneryRC |
 May05_103_Sabaneyama_Erythronium _japonicum_Viola_vaginataRC |
Here are the final 2 shots of this weekend in Funagata, Yamagata Prefecture. This is a .... do you know? Let's make it a quiz! You can find the answer by clicking on the photos and reading the lightbox text. As a hint, you have seen it on this page already.
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 May5th_Funagata152 _ViolaViolaceaVarMakinoiRC |
 May5th_Funagata186 _ViolaViolaceaVarMakinoiRC |
| End May 5th, Begin May 12th |
On Sunday, May 12th, Kazuya went out to Mitake and searched for flowers but I did not go along - basically too lazy. It rained all day Saturday and I thought that the trails would be a muddy mess, but Kazuya told me that they were not so bad at all. In this row are 3 shots of Rhododendron quinquefolium - a 5 leaflet per leaf Rhododendron. It was not so good last year and it is not so good this year too. The weather this year has been so strange that probably nothing knows whether it should bloom or just hold off until a better year comes along!
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 May12th_MtMitake007_ RhododendronQuinquefoliumRC |
 May12th_MtMitake016_ RhododendronQuinquefoliumRC |
 May12th_MtMitake014_ RhododendronQuinquefoliumRC |
Here are 2 beautiful shots of Viola sieboldi f. variegata - in both photos note all of the flowers in the background too! In 3rd position is a seedling of Rhododendron quinquefolium - such a pretty shade of green.
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 May12th_MtMitake019_Viola SieboldiFVariegataRC |
 May12th_MtMitake023_Viola SieboldiFVariegataRC |
 May12th_MtMitake040_ RhododendronQuinquefoliumRC |
In 1st and 2nd position is a violet species which we have not yet seen this year - Viola shikokiana - and, as you can probably tell, it is just finishing up its flowering. In 3rd position is an example of Schizocodon ilicifolius var. australis.
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 May12th_MtMitake043 _ViolaShikokianaRC |
 May12th_MtMitake049 _ViolaShikokianaRC |
 May12th_MtMitake054_Schizocodon IlicifoliusVarAustralisRC |
Here is one more shot of that Schizocodon ilicifolius var. australis and that is followed by some nice trail greenery. In 3rd position is something we always search for in the spring, but very rarely find - it is a Paeonia japonica - a wild Japanese Peony! We found it here 2 years ago and Kazuya was able to find the spot again this year, we still have a chance to see it in bloom - probably next weekend!
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 May12th_MtMitake060_Schizocodon IlicifoliusVarAustralisRC |
 May12th_Mt Mitake062RC |
 May12th_MtMitake064 _PaeoniaJaponicaRC |
Here are 2 more shots of that clump of Paeonia japonica and then a scenic shot from Mt. Mitake. And - that's all from May 12th.
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 May12th_MtMitake071 _PaeoniaJaponicaRC |
 May12th_MtMitake094 _PaeoniaJaponicaRC |
 May12th_Mt Mitake098RC |
| End May 12th, End Page 1 |
| Thanks so much for taking the time to look at this page. Now, please go on to Page 2 for the continuation of this month's adventures. |
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