Photo Gallery report: July in Sakurajima |
2009/09/14 |
I will present in this blog entry July's photographic report from Sakurajima. I have photographed the dynamic form of Sakurajima in mid-summer and I hope you will enjoy looking at these photos while remembering your summer this year.■Sakurajima - one of the world's prominent volcanoes
With a perimeter measuring about 55 km and a height of 1,117m above sea level, Sakurajima is on a peninsula situated in the Kinko Bay (Kagoshima Bay) 4km from the center of Kagoshima city. The volcano was selected in 2007 as one of the “GEO 100" sites of Japan and is a well-known symbol of Kagoshima. In the past it was an independent island, but the molten lava from the 1914 great eruption joined the volcano with Osumi Peninsula.
Access to Sakurajima is done through taking the Sakurajima Ferry, which connects the Kagoshima Port and the Sakurajima Port. After you leave from the city area and set off toward the volcano, you will gradually be greeted by the imminent grandeur of Sakurajima above the Kinko Bay.
As you get closer to Sakurajima, you get a sense of the imposing impact of the smoke shooting up. It seems that the smoke can get over 4,000m above the crater when the volcano is most active. I was able to capture photos with great impact this time compared with the last time thanks to the large amount of smoke and also the fine weather. Here are the photos.
With the shooting smoke Sakurajima can often be showered with ashes and local newspapers and news programs in the vicinity would inform people of wind directions as part of their weather report. Thanks to this, local people can then take measures to prevent ashes from damaging their crops or know exactly when to put out their laundry.
Incidentally, for the locals, instead of heavy snowfalls experience in other parts of Japan, they experience the threat of "heavy ash fall". When a large amount of ash comes falling down during a large-scale eruption, even day becomes night and everything gets covered in ash. Although it appears that such "heavy ash falls" have become less frequent, I felt how tough it must be to be living alongside eruptions and volcanic ashes.
■Life on Sakurajima
Sakurajima has about 6,000 inhabitants. The alluvial fan formed as part of the island makes it a perfect place for cultivation of produces like fruits, allowing for cultivations of fruits like mandarin oranges or loquats to prosper. In addition, the marine products industry at Kinko Bay also sees vibrant activities with the farming of such fish as yellowtails and amberjacks.
These photos show the elementary school on Sakurajima. Inside the school you can see the words "fukutsu no kokoro (unconquerable spirit)", "gambaru (strive)", "kangaeru (think)", and "tasukeau (help one another)". Perhaps these signify the spirit born out of the harsh living conditions on Sakurajima. What wonderful words!
On the east coast of the volcano is a rare scene of a torii (Shinto shrine gate), one that has mostly been buried underground. This torii in fact is a reminder of the 1914 great eruption, when the volcano became one with Osumi Peninsula. The torii originally stood 3m above ground but was buried under a great amount of ash and now only barely showing the top section.
I was told that the torii still remains buried because the mayor of the Higashi-Sakurajima Village had decided not to dig it out of the ashes in order to show future generations the tremendous power of volcanic eruptions. Incidentally, this buried torii is also a designated natural monument of Kagoshima Prefecture. It is a very valuable site because it makes you feel the threat of nature just by looking at it.
I have shown you the grandeur of Sakurajima this time and I hope I have been able to show you the overwhelming powers of nature and the strength of the people living there. There are more photos of the nature-abundant Sakurajima available on our Photo Gallery page, please take a look.
Photo Gallery report: July on Rishiri Island |
2009/09/14 |
Lat. 45ﾋ哢, Long. 141ﾋ哘 - the location of Rishiri Island on the Sea of Japan. The name of the island comes from the Ainu word "riishiri", meaning "island with high mountain". Like the name suggests, in the middle of the island is Mt. Rishiri, also known as Rishiri Fuji, soaring 1,721m above sea level. The impression you get when viewing Rishiri Island from the sea at a distance is like seeing Mt. Rishiri floating over the sea.
Rishiri Island is a treasury of a variety of plants, with over 600 species discovered! There are also plants unique to the island.
The Mikaeridai hiking trail entrance (at 500m above sea level) opens to the hiking trail that forms a Kutsugata (shoe) shape, leading up to the summit of Mt. Rishiri. During the short summer of Mt. Rishiri, many hikers come visit the mountain, making it a popular sightseeing spot on the island. However, to climb the mountain you need to have sufficient equipment, plan and climbing skills.
Rishiri Island is also famous for its Rishiri Konbu (kelp). As some types of kelp harvested around the island are naturally grown and are rare, they can fetch very high prices at Japanese-style restaurants like ryotei and other places. Incidentally, konbu has been an important food ingredient in Japanese cuisine since ancient times and the valuable elements contained have become the focus of recent research.
At Noevir, we are also working daily to research about such blessings from our rich nature and discover ways of utilizing them. We will continue to conduct our research in order to be able to bring products of satisfaction to you. We hope you will stay in tuned!
2009 Solar Eclipse Report (1) |
2009/08/07 |
~First Total Solar Eclipse in 46 Years, from Akuseki Island~
On July 22, Japan observed its first total solar eclipse in 46 years.
Today we're sending you a report from Akuseki Island, where the excitement has yet to settle down. We hope you enjoy the valuable photographs taken of the total solar eclipse that accompany this entry.
Akuseki Island was made famous overnight with the longest viewing time from the ground level of the solar eclipse in the 21st century. However, due to a seasonal rain front, thick clouds and heavy rain hit the island on the morning of the eclipse. The team waiting in the sea surrounding the island reported that the sky was already quite dark before the event and that it was unclear whether or not it was the total solar eclipse.
Unfortunately, the skies never did clear up, so only a partial eclipse was visible. The photos below are taken from the skies above Akuseki Island at the moment of totality.
This is the “Black Sun“ which is visible during totality. The clouds were pretty high up so we were unsure, even with shooting from the sky, if we were going to be able to capture it, but we did. During totality, the sky turned completely black as we couldn't even see our own hands. We witnessed an astronomical show that was both priceless and mysterious.
Incidentally, the population of Akuseki Island is only about 70 people and they saw roughly 300 visitors comprised of tourists, guides, reporters, etc. There were reports from down on the ground that everything went dark during the eclipse and that it felt like it was the middle of the night. The unforgettable experience was made possible thanks to the hard-working people of the island, who made time between their work and household affairs to set up an observatory and other accommodations for the visitors.
The next total solar eclipse visible from Japan will be 26 years from now, in September, 2035. It is expected to be observable from the Hokuriku and the northern Kanto region. Hopefully, with the help of everyone, we'll be able to enjoy another mysterious astronomical show then, too!
In the next entry, we will include images of the partial eclipses that were visible from each of Noevir's different research centers. I hope you look forward to them!
In search of Top-class Salt |
2009/08/07 |
~Minami Daito Natural Sea Salt and Sea Water Essence~
Hello everyone, this is Nono Yamamura from Noevir's Ginza Research Center.
One humid day comes after another. You have to be careful not to suffer a heat stroke-are you all staying hydrated? After sweating, it's important to replenish your body not only with water, but minerals as well.
This time we bring to you an entry on “Minami Daito Natural Sea Salt and Sea Water Essence“ from Yanagihara of the Noevir Minami Daito Island Marine Research Center, head of the Noevir Minami Daito Island Marine Research Center.Hello. This is Yanagihara from the Noevir Minami Daito Island Marine Research Center.
The rainy season has ended here on Minami Daito Island and we are now in the midst of the burning hot summer. The sun shines bright here, but since we are surrounded by the sea, temperatures around this time only reach a high of about 31.2ﾋ咾 and a low of about 25ﾋ咾.
Although it is the summer, not many flowers bloom here on Minami Daito Island (although it's not a substitute, Hibiscus does bloom here all-year-round!). In the research center, we have a fascinating plant called “Queen of the Night“-a type of cactus that blooms only during the night, but it still only had buds. Have you ever seen what one looks like when it blooms?
Minami Daito Island is made up of limestone (transformed from coral), and in some areas, you can actually see exposed limestone. The environment is not suitable for growing plants, so we have drilled through the rock and have planted a flower bed.
■About the sea water and sea salt of Minami Daito Island and the surrounding area
At Noevir, we have done extensive oceanic research for over 20 years looking for the “best salt“ out there. This has brought us to the sea surrounding Minami Daito Island, which boasts some of the clearest water in the world.
Minami Daito Island is a solitary island that sits atop a raised coral reef and there is an upwelling current that is caused by the waves hitting it. Thanks to this, the sea water surrounding Minami Daito Island also contains a rich amount of minerals that come up from the depths of the sea.
Our natural sea salt and sea essence (bittern) are made by the method of boiling away the sea water. Using this method, even the little amount of impurities in the sea water will be concentrated thorough processing. For this reason, it is vital that the sea water doesn't contain any impurities, which is why the clear water of Miami Daito Island is absolutely essential.
Let me go over the process from drawing water to the actual making of the product. First, we go offshore in a boat and extend a hose down some 200 meters below the sea surface where we will draw approximately 2 tons of water. The water is transferred to a truck waiting on the pier and then the water is taken to the salt plant. We repeat this process until we have drawn about 20 tons of sea water.
At the plant the water is strained and the first concentration process is conducted, concentrating the water by about 10 times. Calcium sulfate will come out during this step, so the water is once again strained in order to extract it. The water is then boiled down through a secondary concentration process. Afterwards, centrifugation is done to separate the “sea salt“ from the “bittern“.
For each one-time production we draw 20 tons of seawater, which takes about 3 days. Then it takes about 10 days to boil the seawater until we get salt crystals. Incidentally, for every 7.4 liter of seawater we can extract 200g of salt, and for every 4.7 liter we can obtain 100ml of bittern. It is this rigorous process that gives Minami Daito Sea Salt its delicious flavor and excellent balance of fine minerals.
Lately we have been drawing water twice a month (about a week in total). Safety is of utmost importance so we pay close attention to the weather and if it looks rough, we don't send the ship out. In cases where the ship is sent out and runs into high waves or strong winds, we turn the engine in full gear and quickly return to the port. There was one time where one of the engines stopped and a wave pushed the ship back towards the sea, but we were able to use the returning wave to get back to the port.■About Minami Daito Natural Sea Salt and Sea Water Essence
Minami Daito Natural Sea Salt and Sea Water Essence are the products “as is“ extracted from the harvest from the sea made from the clear waters of Minami Daito Island, home to some of the clearest water in the world. Natural and sweet, these go well with any dish. They are perfect and healthy for everyday use.
Minami Daito Natural Sea Salt goes well with any dish. It's sweet and not overly salty, allowing you to really bring out the flavors of whatever dish you are preparing. Absolutely essential to use when making pickled food!
Here's something that's helpful to know; you can steam up rice full in volume by adding a little Minami Daito Sea Water Essence to the rice.
In summer-time, you tend to sweat a lot in many occasions and consequently, your body lacks minerals. To compensate the deficit of minerals, you can add a couple of drops of the essence to your daily drinking water to easily create tasty mineral water. Be careful of Natsu-Bate (summer lethargy) and keep your body strong so it can stand up to the heat!
First total solar eclipse in 46 years from the Tokara Archipelago |
2009/07/03 |
Title:It’s finally about to happen! First total solar eclipse in 46 years
from the Tokara Archipelago
News about the first total solar eclipse in 46 years visible from Japan this year has been all the talk. The solar eclipse can be observed on July 22nd from the Tokara Archipelago that comprises 12 islands.
The archipelago is located right at the central zone of the eclipse,
making it the perfect point for observation. Among the islands,
Akuseki Island holds the world’s longest record of eclipse
observation of 6 minutes and 30 seconds.
The Tokara Archipelago is the hottest region of Japan at the
moment. We have reported on the archipelago previously,
but we thought we would take this opportunity to introduce the
charms of the islands again.
When one thinks of the Tokara Archipelago one immediately imagines the beautiful ocean. There are colorful corals and fish, while the blue ocean manifests the grandeur of nature. When July comes, you can
see many larvae and baby fish, as this is the breeding season of
marine creatures.
On land around the islands is also an abundance of nature. Plants like bamboos (and bamboo shoots) and biro (Livistona chinensis) can
be found on Akuseki Island, the island located almost at the center of the Tokara Archipelago and which has become popular due to its
position for observation of the eclipse this year.
Biro on Akuseki Island is particularly famous, and there are many
biro growing in groups, so many that there is a mountain on the island called ‘Mt. Biro’. While the island is covered mainly by low trees,
these tall biro make an impression because they stand above the
other trees.
Akuseki Island is the only island of the archipelago to have a
custom that is symbolic of the masked god Boze. The fact that so
much nature is still left untouched by man makes it apt to call the
island the ‘isle of the gods’
You can also enjoy Yudomari
Onsen (hot spring).in Akuseki
Island. We recommend bathing at night. It is a luxury sitting in the open-air bath made from rocks,
as if part of nature itself, with the starry sky above you and
moonlight shinning down on you! It is also splendid during daytime,
when you can see the horizon because the ocean is right in front of the hot springs.
Such is the Tokara Archipelago, full of nature’s great blessings.
With the total solar eclipse next month approaching, many people are now visiting the islands. It will be a mysterious astronomical show,
when the moon overlaps the sun, turning day into dark night and
making stars and coronas blown off from the sun’s surface visible.
It will be exciting to see what kind of phenomenon can be seen from
the Tokara Archipelago.
Belated Spring in the Northern Alps: The Kurobe Canyon and Tsurugi-dake in May |
2009/07/03 |
Hello everyone, this is Nono Yamamura from Noevir’s Ginza Center Laboratory.
In this blog entry we have recently reported on spring in
various places around Japan, including Minami-daito Island. This time we will bring you the scenic views of the Northern Alps in May,
centering on the Kurobe Canyon and Tsurugi-dake.
The weather was fine on the day we went for the photo shoot. Given the high altitude we had expected it would be cold, but the sun was
so bright it actually felt hot.
The Kurobe Canyon is extremely deep and narrow, and
our impression was that it looked just like a deep chasm of
the mountain range.
You can really feel the impact of the grandeur of nature when you
stand in this terrain where the differences between high peaks
and low grounds are enormous. The Northern Alps are a mountainous range of 3000-meter-class peaks, appearing like a high wall when
seen from the Tokyo side.
We traveled from the lower reaches of Kurobe River upstream to
take photos. Halfway up we encountered several dams and we thought about how difficult it must have been to construct dams in such
terrain.
Perhaps it was due to the Golden Week holiday season in Japan,
there seemed to be many people traveling on the trolley and visiting
the Kurobe Dam (also called Kuroyon Dam) .
The lower reaches of the stream run through the Kurobe Canyon
open up to an expansion of beautiful fresh green scenery.
On the other hand, it was still thawing in the upstream area,
where trees are still bare.
There was a lot of snow remaining near the summit of
Tsurugi-dake, with just the roof of mountain cabins visible.
It is clear that winter is yet to leave and spring yet to fully settle in.
The place with a deep line of mountain ridge in a V shape is called
kiretto (small gap) or mado (window) in mountaineering jargon and
there are three of such areas here in the Northern Alps called
omado
(big window), komado (small window) and san-no-mado (third window). As the naming shows, the biggest is called omado, big window because it is so; the komado, being smaller gets the name ‘small window’; and the san-no-mado named so obviously because it comes after the
first two. When viewing the Northern Alps from
the Toyama Prefecture side you get a sense that the mountain
range stands like a wall much higher than when seen from
the east side.
These photos are of the Shomyo Falls on the Toyama Prefecture
side. It certainly lives up to its status as a natural monument.
With a drop of 350 meters, the view of the terrain where
the waterfall pours into the huge water basin is simply stunning.
We had quite a hard time shooting photos at high altitude. The lack of oxygen restricted our movements, and sometimes we would get
dizzy trying to focus on shooting pictures of the narrow terrain that presents great height differences. However, we were overwhelmed by the dynamic terrain and discovered many amazing things, such as the tough plants that grow from the precipice near the summit of
Tsurugi-dake, where no even snow has a foothold.
Finally, let me show you my favorite images: they are Tsurugi no otaki (left) and Jujikyo Gorge (right). The zigzagging of the upper part of
‘Tsurugi no otaki’ is not because the course of the waterfall itself
zigzags; we realized when we got closer that it was created by water hitting against the rocks from left and right. ‘Jujikyo Gorge’ on the other hand was striking with beautiful water color and
the cross shape.
The movie “Tsurugi-dake Ten No Ki (‘Mt. Tsurugi-dake, the record of location survey’)” set at Tsurugi-dake premiered nationwide on
June 20th and I would love to go see it at the cinemas. Not only will I be able to enjoy images of Tsurugi-dake on the big screen,
I am also interested in the story about how people challenged the
climbing of the once untrodden peak. If you are interested you should definitely check this movie out.
Report on Matterhorn |
2009/05/27 |
Title Photo Gallery: Report on Matterhorn
In this blog entry we will bring you images of what the Matterhorn in Switzerland looked like in April.
Matterhorn, one of the three great peaks of Switzerland alongside
the Jungfrau and Mont Blanc, attracts climbers from all over the
world. Its soaring figure is so grand it earned itself the title: “Queen
of the Alps”. The biggest reason why this peak captures the heart of
so many people is not only its 4,478m height, but also the fact that
its appearance can change drastically depending on the amount of
snow that covers it. The view from the northeastern side is
particularly known as the most beautiful.
■The appearance of Matterhorn
The weather on the Matterhorn can shift quickly, creating various
appearances of the peak at any moment. While a cloudless
Matterhorn is amazing, views of the peak where clouds exit from the
east side like smokes or from the summit like soft cotton, or where
streaks of clouds around the middle of the peak to allow the summit
to peer through are all simply stunning.
Last summer we took a photo of two mountain trains passing one another with the Matterhorn in
the back. We liked it so much
that we decided to do it again this time. This time round, however,
there was lots of snow in the
area and we were told by our guide that it was too dangerous to take
the photo. It was a shame that we couldn’t take the same shot again this time. You can see images of the Matterhorn in summer by
accessing Photo Gallery (FLASH version), from genre, then
choose europe.
■The mountain village Zermatt
Zermatt is a popular tourist resort at the foot of the Matterhorn.
As part of the initiatives to care for the environment, only electric
cars and horse-drawn coaches are allowed to enter. For this reason
the air there is very clean. Besides the Matterhorn, the town is
surrounded by mountains measuring over 4,000m, like the Monte
Rosa Massif. Here you can enjoy the great nature to the fullest all
year round. The town is popular with tourists due to the ease of
access to famous scenic spots made possible with the mountain
railway, ropeway and even a helicopter service it provides.
We were there in time for the Easter holiday and the town was alive with families visiting the town, most of them were there to enjoy
skiing in the mountains.
Like the rest of Europe, Switzerland has a Ski Holiday, where people
can take turns to take a week off each to ski. Now that’s what we
Japanese should learn from the Europeans, the way to live a
refreshed and enriched life!
We have taken many photos of also other sights, such as street scenes in Switzerland and the grandeur of nature in the Alps area.
Access Photo Gallery (FLASH version) and check them out.
Cherry Blossom Report 2009 |
2009/05/27 |
Title
Cherry Blossom Report 2009 [Part 3]: Sakura in the
Kinki Region － Mt. Yoshino and Himeji Castle
Following our last report on spring in suzuka, this time we will bring
you a report on the sakura (cherry blossoms) in the Kinki region,
focusing on Mt. Yoshino (Yoshino Town, Nara Prefecture) and Himeji
Castle (Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture).
We went to shoot for photos of the cherry blossoms on April 9. It
was a fine sunny day, warm enough to perspire, and a perfect day for
viewing cherry blossoms. Mt. Yoshino and Himeji Castle are two of
the famous spots for cherry blossoms in the Kinki region, with crowds of visitors swarming in during the beginning of April every year.
When we went to shoot the photos this year, the cherry blossoms
around Himeji Castle were in full bloom, while at Mt. Yoshino it was
about 80% around the Naka Senbon area and full bloom in the
Shimo Senbon area.
◆Scenic view of cherry blossoms at Mt. Yoshino
The cherry trees at Mt. Yoshino are considered as goshimboku
(sacred trees) of Zao Gongen (God of /em>shugendo or Avatar Zao)
since ancient times and have been carefully nurtured. Thanks to
religious followers who donated cherry trees to this region, the
number of trees eventually increased to the thousands that we
see today.
10017500.jpg" alt="cherry blossoms at Mt. Yoshino" />
There are approximately 30,000 cherry trees at Mt. Yoshino,
blooming in order from the bottom up, starting with Shimo Senbon
area, followed by Naka Senbon, Kami Senbon and Oku Senbon areas.
When in full blossom, the entire mountain is marvelously covered
with the shiro yamazakura (white wild cherry) variety － you can
literally see thousands of trees at a glance.
◆Scenic view of cherry blossoms at Himeji Castl
Also called the shirasagi (white heron) castle for its graceful design,
Himeji Castle is an extremely famous national treasure that boasts
400 years of history since construction. The castle was registered
in December 1993 as part of the UNESCO World Heritage list,
bringing the most famous and best castle of Japan to the world.
Inside the castle grounds are about 1,000 cherry trees, with various
varieties like the Somei Yoshino (Yoshino cheery trees), yamazakura
(wild cherry trees) and shidarezakura (weeping cherry trees). The
view of these trees with their blossoms around the famous castle is
beautiful. During the days leading up to the anticipated full
blossoming of the cherry trees, bombori paper lanterns are lit in the
evening at the Sannomaru Square (an open square where
Kan-o Kai Ohanami Daiko, a cherry blossom viewing and taiko
drumming event are held at the beginning of April each year),
allowing visitors to savor the beauty of cherry blossoms by night
(the donjon and other parts of the castle are closed at night).
The best cherry blossom spots inside the castle walls are the rows
of cherry trees at the Sannomaru Square; the mostly shidarezakura
(weeping cherry tree) forest in the Nishinomaru Garden; the cherry
trees along the Sangoku Moat and the Himeyama Park Moat, and
around Hishinomon Gate; at the square in front of Kisaimon Gate,
and the cherry tree forest at the hilltop of the Sannomaru Square.
Himeji castle is valuable, for it has never been caught up in any war in its 400-year history. It is associated with many famous legends, such as “Okiku Ido (Okiku’s Well)” and “Miyamoto Musashi No Yokai Taiji (Lit. Miyamoto Musashi gets rids of demons, spirits and monsters)”.
More images of other historical architecture can be viewed in the
Photo Gallery. Click Photo Gallery (FLASH version), from
genre, then choose from either kinki, chugoku, shikoku or object.
Photo Gallery: Report from Tahiti |
2009/04/28 |
Title Photo Gallery: Report from Tahiti
In this blog entry we will bring you a report from Tahiti.
Waves of Teahupoo
Tahiti is one of the most famous resorts of the South Pacific. It is
said that surfing actually originated here.
There are numerous surfing spots, one of the best known being
Teahupoo, where local and international surfers come for the waves.
Our local guide told us that on the day of our photo shoot the waves were as high as 2-3 meters, but they can rise as high as 8 meters at times.
We chartered a boat to go out closer to the waves for the photos
and the Teahupoo waves are simply stunning when seen up close.
This is a lotus flower we found near Teahupoo. It was beautiful with
its light pink color with a purple tinge.
Nuku Hiva
Nuku Hiva is one of the Marquesas Islands located northeast of
Tahiti.
It is some 1500km from the capital of Tahiti, Papeete, and it took
three hours and fifteen minutes for our small Air Tahiti plane to
arrive there.
It took a further two hours by car from the airport to the center of
Nuku Hiva, having to go over a number of mountains, but we were
rewarded with many stunning views along the way.
The daytime temperature on the day we visited Nuku Hiva was well
over 30℃, but as we were atop the summit of a mountain nearly
1000m above sea level when we took these photos, the
thermometer of our car indicated that the temperature there was
23℃.
The air was so clean and the sky very clear. The island, covered
under canopies of various plantations, was a large piece of nature
itself.
Moorea
We went to Moorea Island for these underwater photos.
We went diving in the shallow sea, which stretches for some distance from the shore, and we were really surprised to be immediately
greeted by many stingrays and sharks. Being able to snorkel with
stingrays and sharks swimming around you is perhaps what makes
Moorea attractive.
The images from our photo shoot can be viewed in the latest
additions of photos in the FLASH version of our Photo Gallery. We hope you enjoy these images of abundant nature.
■Related Articles
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◇Photo Gallery: Underwater images from Tahiti and Rangiroa islands
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Tahiti Islands: Rangiroa Island [1]
The North Alps of Japan in Winter |
2009/04/28 |
Title Photo Gallery: The North Alps of Japan in Winter
Hello everyone, this is Nono Yamamura from Noevir’s Ginza
Research Center.
In this blog entry we will show you images of the North Alps of Japan taken this past winter and which are available for viewing in the
FLASH version of our Photo Gallery. We hope you will enjoy
the images of the famous Alpine Route, the kami no roka (‘upper
corridor’, the upstream zone of the Kurobe Dam) and the mountain
lodge in winter.
Breathtaking views from mountains at over 2500m above sea level.
 Mt. Goryu-dake peak (2814m) |  Mt. Hakusan (2702m) |
 Mt. Tateyama (3015m) |  Mt. Shirouma-dake (2932m) |
This is Tsurugi-dake peak of the Tateyama range in North Alps,
chosen as one of the famous 100 mountains of Japan. Being the
location for the movie “Tsurugi-dake Ten No Ki (‘Mt. Tsurugi-dake,
the record of location survey’)” to be released in June, the peak is
now the getting more attention than before.
 This is Mt. Hotaka, also one of the famous 100 mountains of Japan. |  Jigoku-dani (‘hell valley’) showing remnant of the Tateyama volcano. |
At 3180m, this high peak with a unique shape of a spearhead
piercing into the heavens is
called Mt. Yariga-take, aka
Matterhorn of Japan.
The image on the right is a rare
scene of the Kurobe Dam
covered in snow.
 Tsurugi no otaki, a waterfall of sword only for expert climbers. |  Kami-kochi, famous summer retreat. |
More images are available in the FLASH version of our Photo Gallery “from new”.■Related Articles
◇Stunning imagery: Tsurugi-dake, North Alps
◇HTML version of Photo Gallery renewed!
◇Stunning imagery (3): Gazing over silvery Japanese Alps
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