Mt. Gassan (Part 2) (August 12th & 13th)

The sunrise at the top of Mt. Gassan.

We saw nice sunrise and all the plants were covered with the pinkish light, so we took lots of interesting color pictures. From the top of Mt. Gassan, we could see Mt. Choukai, too. We walked down to the Tsuruoka side of the mountain and then took the bus back to Tsuruoka Station, and then back home by the train from there.



Schizocodon soldanelloides f. alpinus (Ko-Iwakagami)


Near the snow at the top, we could still see some early kinds of flowers.


Geum pentapetalum (Chinguruma)


Heloniopsis orientalis (Shoujou bakama)


Coptis trifoliolata (Mitsuba-no-Baika-ouren)


Vaccinium ovalifolium (Kurousugo)


Viola biflora (Kibana-no-Komanotsume)


Geranium yesoense var. nipponicum (Hakusan Fuuro)


Viola biflora (Kibana-no-Komanotsume)


Viola biflora (Kibana-no-Komanotsume)


The Shadow of Mt. Gassan.






The colors were hard to express.


You can see Mt. Choukai, too.


Gaultheria ovatifolia ssp. adenothrix (Akamono).
This one got some berries.

Mt. Gassan (Part 1) (August 12th & 13th)

Small bus we took from Nishikawa BS.

We left early in the morning and took a train to Yamagata Station, and then took a highway bus to Nishikawa BS. In five minutes or so, the small town bus came and we took it all the way up to Ubasawa BS, from where you can take a lift. It was a little cloudy, but we enjoyed the different look of the mountains from the one of Mt. Choukai. The hut was really nice and we didn't order the meal there, but it looked pretty good, too. I saw the meteor shower from the window when I woke up in the middle of the night.



Rubus vernus (Benibana Ichigo).
It is pretty big, but unfortunately it is not so tasty.


Gentiana nipponica (Miyama Rindou).


Prunella prunelliformis (Tateyama Utsubogusa).


Leontopodium fauriei (Hina Usuyukisou).


Cirsium nambuense (Nanbu Takane Azami).


Cirsium ugoense (Ugo Azami).


Snow!


Chamaepericlymenum canadense (Gozen Tachibana).


Gaultheria ovatifolia ssp. adenothrix (Akamono).


Mt. Gassan is famous for the flat shape of the summit.


Hemerocallis middendorffii var. esculenta (Nikkou Kisuge).


Veronica stelleri ssp. nipponica (Hime Kuwagata).


Macropodium pterospermum (Hakusen Nazuna).


Senecio nemorensis (Kion).


Euphrasia insignis (Miyama Kogomegusa).


The shrine at the summit of Mt. Gassan.


Adenophora triphylla var. hakusanensis (Hakusan Shajin).


Sunset from the top of Mt. Gassan.


The sea of the clouds.

Mt. Chokai (Part 3) (August 9th and 10th)

You could see all the way to the Oga peninsula in Akita.


Phyllodoce aleutica (Ao-no-Tsugazakura).


Filipendula kamtschatica (Oni Shimotsuke).


Spiraea betulifolia (Maruba Shimotsuke).


Anemone narcissiflora (Hakusan Ichige).


Primula nipponica (Hina Zakura).


Vaccinium ovalifolium (Kurousugo).
A kind of blueberry...It tastes pretty good.


Pedicularis yezoensis (Ezo Shiogama).


Saussurea riederi var. yezoensis f. japonica (Okukita Azami).


Hypericum kamtschaticum var. hondoense (Iwa Otogiri).


Coptis trifoliolata (Mitsuba-no-Baika-Ouren).