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posted: October 31st, 2011 |
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This - the only page this month - begins and ends with October 28th - a trip out to Mt. Takao and climb of that mountain and also a climb of Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro. Kazuya had to work so I went on this adventure alone. Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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| Begin October 28th |
By October 28th we had not yet taken a single photo this month. Kazuya had to work several weekend days and on the days which he did not have to work it was often raining, so we just did not get out on any adventures. Friday, the 28th was a beautiful sunny day, cold and clear. Kazuya had to work but I did not, so I went out to Mt. Takao (599 m = 1,965 ft) and hiked up to the top of it, then I walked across to I-Ccho-Daira (I-Ccho Plateau) and continued on to Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro (670 m = 2,199 ft). The first photo in this row shows the starting point for hiking up Mt. Takao - at least from this side of the mountain. The 2nd photo shows a zoomed in portion of the 3rd photo - a little place where there are several small stone gods. Don't ask me any questions about them because I don't have any answers.
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 Oct28_Takao_ 01_EntranceRC |
 Oct28_Takao_ 03_OneGodRC |
 Oct28_Takao_ 02_GodsRC |
This next photo was taken on the back-side of the Mt. Takao Summit - on weekdays one can often find a bunch of kindergarten toddlers up here and sometimes elementary and junior high school classes. This photo shows a huge kindergarten class. I also ran into a junior high school crowd today. The shocking thing is that this is considered a school day for them. The 2nd photo shows a very bright red thistle bud and the 3rd photo shows a thistle flower on the same plant (you can also see that bud in this photo).
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 Oct28_Takao_ 09_SummitKidsRC |
 Oct28_Takao_ 11_ThistleRC |
 Oct28_Takao_ 13_ThistleRC |
Now I am hiking from Mt. Takao towards I-Ccho-Daira. Here is a tiny bit of early fall color. The 2nd shot shows a mountain cherry tree with some autumn color and also shows the microwave towers on Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro - do you recall that is my destination? The 3rd shot shows the same area as the 2nd shot, but it is zoomed out so that you get more of an overview.
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 Oct28_Takao_ 14_ColorsRC |
 Oct28_Takao_ 15_ColorsRC |
 Oct28_Takao_ 16_ColorsRC |
I passed this nice looking patch of Miscanthus sinensis or Susuki Grass. The 3rd shot shows a Wild Yellow Chrysanthemum (Youngia denticulata).
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 Oct28_Takao_20_ Miscanthus_sinensisRC |
 Oct28_Takao_21_ Miscanthus_sinensisRC |
 Oct28_ICChoDaira_ 25_ChrysanthemumRC |
Here are 2 shots of an unknown seedhead. In the 2nd shot you can see more of them in the background. The 3rd shot shows the seedhead of an unknown grass species.
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 Oct28_ICChoDaira_ 27_SeedheadRC |
 Oct28_ICChoDaira_ 31_SeedheadRC |
 Oct28_ICChoDaira_ 34_SeedheadRC |
Here is a Wild White Chrysanthemum and that is followed by 2 shots of a very interesting plant. This is the fruit of Adenocaulon himalaicum. Is it an insectivorous plant - each of those little tentacles is tipped with a sticky drop of something? Why would the seedpods be insectivorous? Google search was able to provide me with VERY LIMITED information on this species.
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 Oct28_ICChoDaira_36 _ChrysanthemumRC |
 Oct28_ICChoDaira_38 _UnknownPlantRC |
 Oct28_ICChoDaira_39 _UnknownPlantRC |
That Adenocaulon himalaicum shown just above also came in a black version - there were several of them, both the green and also the black version. According to some websites I found, it's the same genus and species but the black one is at a more mature stage than the green one. Really? I don't know - as I said just above, I was able to find VERY LIMITED information on this species. In the 2nd photo I am now at the summit of Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro (670 m = 2,199 ft). One maple tree there was red already. I ate a bowl of slippery mushroom soup - it's called Nameko Mushroom Soup and it's very delicious here. The 3rd shot shows the food stand. They don't offer a lot - cup ramen, beer, saké, some soft drinks, some fruits, the Nameko Soup and so on.
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 Oct28_ICChoDaira_40 _UnknownPlantRC |
 Oct28_Kobotoke_44 _KobotokeSummitColorsRC |
 Oct28_Kobotoke_45 _KobotokeSummitRestaurantRC |
The first shot in this row is zoomed in to the food stand. You can see the drinks selection and part of the menu/price list. From left to right - Cup Ramen is ¥300, Oden is ¥500, juice and hot coffee are both ¥200 and beer is ¥400. The 2nd shot shows a small Persimmon (Diospyros sp.) tree and fruits. The 3rd shot is an unknown bush filled with bright red berries.
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 Oct28_Kobotoke_46_ KobotokeSummitRestaurantRC |
 Oct28_Kobotoke_48_ KobotokeSummitPersimmonRC |
 Oct28_Kobotoke_49_ KobotokeSummitRedBerriesRC |
Now I am hiking down the Hikage Creek Trail (it's actually a logging road). I found 3 patches of Swertia japonica up near the top of the trail - we had never found this species here before this! This is called Senburi in Japanese.
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 Oct28_Hikage_52_ Swertia_japonicaRC |
 Oct28_Hikage_54_ Swertia_japonicaRC |
 Oct28_Hikage_61_ Swertia_japonicaRC |
Here is a final shot of Swertia japonica. It is followed by 2 shots of blown down trees along the logging road. This is what happened during Typhoon Roke on September 21st, 2011! The typhoon winds generated by Roke were much stronger than a normal typhoon and there was a lot of destruction.
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 Oct28_Hikage_66_ Swertia_japonicaRC |
 Oct28_Hikage_70 _BlowdownRC |
 Oct28_Hikage_71 _BlowdownRC |
Here is a final shot of Typhoon Roke damage. The 2nd and 3rd photos are what we refer to as "The Bottle Brush Flower" - looks like a Bottle Brush, doesn't it! It is Cimicifuga simplex.
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 Oct28_Hikage_72 _BlowdownRC |
 Oct28_Hikage_74_ Cimicifuga_simplexRC |
 Oct28_Hikage_76_ Cimicifuga_simplexRC |
| End October 28th, End Page 1, End October 2011's Photos |
Here are links to separate web pages - all of them will open in a new window (or new tab). The first link shows some photos of our DVD Collection, an AVI Movie of our Home Theater System and 9 photos of our Sharp Aquos TV. The 2nd link shows our entire DVD collection in DVD Profiler (if you're asking yourself what might be good to rent for the weekend). The DVD's will be sorted by date purchased. You can click on the "Title" Column to sort that way if you desire. The 3rd link shows our entire DVD collection in php DVD Profiler, which is much more sophisticated than the plain vanilla DVD Profiler just above it. The 4th link takes you to a set of pages which show you the FRONT cover-art of our entire DVD collection.
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 February 22, 2009 - DVD Collection & Home Theater System   
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 Please check it out by clicking on the above button. (Click on the "Studies of Plants and Wildlife" link in the new window.) |
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| Here are the front and rear covers of Daniel & Kazuya's Outdoor Photography of Japan: Through the Seasons. |
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| Here are the front and rear covers of Daniel & Kazuya's Some Violets of Eastern Japan - 2nd Edition. |
An animated gif of some of our publications (Does Not Include 100 Mountains Series) (34 seconds)  For details please click the "Our Books" Button at the bottom of the page. |
An animated gif of our Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains Series (Paperback Editions) (28 seconds)  For details please click the "Our Books" Button at the bottom of the page. |
An animated gif of our Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains Series (Hardcover Editions) (26 seconds)  For details please click the "Our Books" Button at the bottom of the page. |
| Thanks so much for taking the time to look at the site this month. Even though there is not much here this month, we hope that you found something which made your visit worthwhile and enjoyable. |
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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.) |