2012-10-30

Pretty small flowers in Uryu Numa Marsh!

by Kazu

This perspective of Uryu Numa Marsh is from the official web site of Uryu Town. The characters of the name 雨竜 means rain and dragon. It is so difficult to take this kind of photo that I use it from http://www.town.uryu.hokkaido.jp/contents/contents.php?cid=134
 This plant is called Chinguruma blooming from the end of June to the middle of July every year.  Is it called Geum pentapetalum or Sieversia pentapetala in academic field?
This is Ezokanzo blooming from the beginning of July to the beginning of August.  Glycyrrhizae Radix is the Latino name?
Hakusan-chidori blooms from the end of June to the end of July.I do not know if it has an English name or not. It's a kind of orchid blooming on the wet highland. The shape of each blossom is like a flying plover.
Hiougi-Ayame blooms from the beginning of July to the beginning of August. Is it called Arctic Iris in English ?
 Ezo-hitsujigusa is the flower blooming on the surface of the ponds. It is a kind of wild water lily but the shape is a little bit different from original water lily.  The flowers  can be seen from the middle of July to the middle of August.
This yellow small flowers can be seen from the beginning of July to the beginning of August. The name is Shinano-kinbaisou in Japanese and Trollius riederianus var japonicus is the academic name.
It can be said that Mizubashou is the most popular flower in the meadow in Japan. Skunk cabbage is the name of this flower in English? From the beginning of June to the beginning of July, it shows the flower in this area.
Insect catcher, Mousengoke (Sundew) is  another popular plants in the marsh. The nutrition from the earth and insects is crystallized from the end of Jully to the beginning of August .
This single yellow flower is Oze-Kouhone blooming from the beginning of August through the middle of September.It is also a kind of water lily.
Ezo-Oyama Rindou blooms its flower from the middle of August to the middle of September. It is a kind of gentian.
Hime-Shakunage has the flowers shaped like ringing bells that can be seen. from the end of June to the beginning July.  Rhododendron is English name of this flower, I think.
 The flowers ofShoujou-bakama is blooming from the beginning of June to the beginning of July. Its academic name Heloniopsis orientalis was too difficult to pronounce.
The flowers of Tachigi-boushi(Hosta rectifolia can be seen only in August .
Ezonohosoba-torikabuto also can be seen only in August. It's a kind of poisonous aconite(monkshood).
Flowers of Watasuge(Eriophorum) can be seen from the beginning of July to the beginning of August.
These flowers and blossoms can be seen only in short summer of this area. No wild flowers can be seen until spring has come in Hokkaido from now. Would you buy the plant in the pot for winter to raise in the house?

Hidden area in Hokuryu Town!

by Kazu

As I ran out of the photos taken recently, I introduce the beautiful camping site in Hokuryu Town, Sorachi sub-prefectural area of Hokkaido.
The pink area is the ground covered with the blossoms of Moss Phlox(Phlox sublata).In Hokkaido, Takinoue Town, Rausu Town, Oozora Town are the famous areas of beautiful Moss Phlox but those area of Moss Phlox are not for camping. But in Konpira Park Camping Site of Hokuryu Town, this beautiful scenery can be seen from the tent in spring. This park is 16km away from Hokuryu Himawari(Sunflower) Interchange of expressway between Rumoi City and Fukagawa City.  
   The waterfall below is Sandan-no Taki which means three-step waterfall in English. Located in the hidden area of Hokuryu Town, the waterfall is worthwhile, to be frank. It is 5km away from the entrance of trekking course to reach the peak of Mt.Shokanbetsu(-dake). It is easy to reach and see this scenery by walk even for females. Before snowfall, it may be a great trekking to reach the waterfall through the trail. Would you try this weekend?

2012-10-29

Fresh peanuts should be boiled ! Iwamizawa City.

 by Kazu
I've eaten boiled peanuts for the first time in my life. Raw peanuts are so soft and not tasty that they should be dried or boiled with salt for 20 to 30 minutes. The photo below is taken in the roadside station in Naganuma Town but I bought fresh peanuts in Iwamizawa City this time.
It may be a better way to eat peanuts because no particles of dried seed's skin like powder are not produced during crush the pods of peanuts. Boiled in the hot water, the peanuts are not so juicy but apparently different from the dried ones.
Would you try the new taste and feeling of fresh peanut?  

2012-10-28

Hokkaido University in autumn! -for Fatinnadiah

by Kazu

It was 5:30 in the morning. It will be raining today but it was so fine yesterday in Sapporo City. Beautiful autumnal foliage did not get the bright colour without sunshine early in the morning. But even at that moment without the ray of rising sun, only one part of the premises of Hokkaido University was so shining as if the tree itself emitting light.

This is the tree glowing with gold colour. Something is different from other trees. Gingko biloba seemed to emit the light. I have seen the same phenomenon in Quebec City of Canada. Yes, that was in Orleans Island.
Old couples are whispering each other in the auberge. That was the symbolic scene of Canada.  
All the foliage got the bright colour in the afternoon in Hokkaido University. The beauty of the leaves were not at the peak this year in the plain. If we had earlier snow fall this winter and the leaves withered, we will not be able to see the most beautiful foliage this year.

Yes, it is so peaceful in Japan but it has not got over the economic depression albeit China and other countries in Asia are getting power to outstrip Japan. 
It will rain tomorrow and the day after in Sapporo City, too.

Orange.
Red and orange.

I will post the events held in Noember, December and January of 2013 before Mayan Calender  run out of its record. Do you think the human beings will be able to count the days after we enter the terra incognita of Mayan Calender?

2012-10-27

Migratory birds in Nanporo Town !

by Kazu

Can you find small dots in this photo?
Wild geese began to move to south.
They flew in beautiful formation of V.
They seemed to come from the broad, Miyajima-numa in Bibai City.
Miyajima Broad was listed as the sanctuary for migratory birds of Ramsar Convention.
Rice fields and wheat fields around the broad were damaged by those migratory birds in autumn and spring. So Sorachi sub-prefectural office of Hokkaido Government set some feeding fields around the broad to reduce the damage to the agricultural produce. It is the season  for travel before winter. We have to exert our effort to co-exist with those creatures.
Have a nice week end!     

2012-10-26

Foot Path in Nanporo Town 3!

 by Kazu

When we visited Sato Farm, the owner Mr.Sato showed us his hospitality and  enthusiasm to raise and provide organic veggies. He started to raise veggies and crops organically, asked by the moms whose kids were suffered from allergic dermatitis. It must be so difficult to make ends meet in producing veggies organically,
Introduced by the vice president of the NPO Mr.Kondo, Mr.Sato explained about the reason why he had started to raise organic veggies and crops.  
When he started to grow organic veggies and crops, the farmers around his farm complained about the effect brought by not-pesticiding his fields. Other farmers concerned about the harmful insects that damages the veggies and crops.

Every time he was criticized by other farmers, he remember the mothers craving for organic veggies and crops for their kids.
He provided us all with this boiled pumpkins. They were so sweet but sugar was not used .

At the end of our pilgrimage, we visited the cabbage field owned by a farming company in Nanporo Town, "Life" headed by the vice chair of Nanporo Town Council, Mr.Hidemasa Honma.

To be surprised, each participant was given two cabbages as present and experienced the harvest of cabbages, using small knives.
Nanporo Town is the most famous area producing cabbages in Hokkaido but aging population makes it difficult to continue to produce cabbages because the older the farmers, much more difficult to harvest heavy cabbages. "Cabbage fields in Nanporo Town may become the fields for raising broccoli that is easier to harvest for elders."said some farmers.

Forgetting the fact that every participant had paid 500 Yen for this foot path event, this surprising gift from the farm pleased every participant.

But the most surprising thing was that I met my alumnus of Kitami Hokuto High School, Mr.Naoyuki Kanahyou for the first time since we had graduated.
He is a famous artist carving stones and make sculptures.

His works and life style was described on the magazine "Slow Life" and I happened to read the magazine in a cafe in Teshikaga Town. After coming back from Italy, Mr.Kanahyou set his atelier and house in Kiyosato Town of eastern part of Hokkaido. I thought I had to plan to visit him and buy some of his works.
While harvesting cabbages, I recognized a person very similar to Mr.Kanahyou.
But as I thought he was in Kiyosato Town, I did not think he was Mr. Kanahyou. The more I gazing at the gentleman, the more I was convinced that he is Mr.Kanahyou. I asked the president of the NPO Mr. Hamada what was the name of the gentleman with kids. "He is Mr. Kanahyou who moved into Nanporo Town last year."  Before hearing all his comment, I rush to Mr. Kanahyou and he also recognized me as Ikeda. I will visit his house in the not-so-distanced future and drink beer. A tons of things to talk about 28 years since we graduated our high school.
"I had met Mr.Kanahyou in Italy many years ago and happened to meet him again in Hokkaido. So I invited him to live in Nanporo Town." said Mr.Hamada.
Thanks a lot, Mr.Hamada for giving me this occasion of reunion!     

2012-10-25

Fooot Path in Nanporo Town 2 !

by Kazu

This is the canal where rubber-boat cruising was arranged before the foot path events started. When the number of the participants to the town tour overflow the capacity of the boats, some participants suggested they walk along the canal enjoying the scenery that can not be seen from the canal.
This was the start of the foot path events in Nanporo Town.


After the NPO arranged walk-around-tour some times, a certain participant pointed out "This is the foot path popular in the United Kingdom."
   Actually, tthe foot path event on October 21(Sun.) was well organized with some surprising gift and lecture given by the farmers who strugglin with organic farming.
Foot path signs of this kind were set up by the members of the NPO for the individual private tourists visiting this town.

Transformer substation was built along this river before but only the water gate exists now.





To be surprised, a restaurant with typical Okinawan name  "Haebaru" which means "southern wind plain" on the first floor of "Yu-Yu kan" in Riverside park of Nanporo. 

Lunch : 11:00-14:30 (Course: 1,500 yen-)
Dinner: 17:00-20:00(Reservation is required.)
Closed on Wednesday, from middle of December through the end of March.

The owner chef Mr.Tatsuya Sato was born in Sapporo City and lived in Nanporo City until he graduated the high school. He moved to Germany after his graduation from high school and was trained for three and half years. Coming back from Germany, he was hired by nationall-famous chef Mr.Mikuni and worked in Restaurant MIKUNI Sapporo for years.

During his mandate in Okinawa after Sapporo City, he met his wife Ruriko and got married with her in Ebetsu City adjacent to Sapporo City. Saving enough money, they opened this restaurant with her in Riverside park of nanporo. The restaurant is the namesake of the city in Okinawa and the wind blowing on the grassland in Nanporo Town.

The riverside park has enough space to play baseball and succer.
This statue called "Statue of eternity". Of course, the curve on the stone plate shows the river.

to be continued.