The blessing of early spring

The last snow block under the eaves edge of our house disappeared yesterday. And I found a sprout of the butterbur in our garden. The yellow-green bud reminds me of the arrival of spring in our mountain country. It is good for tempura with bitter taste.

Spring Ephemerals

The season seems to change from winter to spring. I visited a hill near Lake Suwa. The snow has melted and cold wind were blowing there. Many yellow adonis were started to bloom.

Merry Christmas!!

Dear friends,

How have you been? I hope you are having a merry Christmas! We have had snow on higher places than our house. The temperature here has been under 0 degree in the morning. But I love the cold weather since we are able to make fire in our wood stove and to relax in front of the orange fire. I sometimes go out in the snow field to take pictures of my favorite mountains covered with white snow. Attached is the picture of the mountains near our house.Our family members have been fine and doing well. I hope you are well and have a happy new year!

Masao Higuchi

Merry Christmas

I hope you have a peaceful and happy Christmas with your family. Recently we have rather warm days though winter has come. But I hope we have white Christmas on December 24 and 25 since snow is appropriate tassel for our Christmas. We can see Mt. Amida with white snow and black rock from the hill behind our house.

Alpine Foliage

With each passing day also lowered temperatures, it has been a season of alpine foliage. I go out to Shirakoma Pond on a sunny day. Lakeside azaleas are in the red. While walking the lakeside trail, I enjoyed the fall foliage. When viewed from the opposite bank, it is like a scarlet border.

Season of Colored Leaves

The season proceeds to early autumn. I visited local craftsmen’s market in Komagane with my wife this week-end. Komagane is a small town surrounded by Japan Alps and the air was cool and comfortable. Leaves of maple trees were changing to vivid red in the wood. We also enjoyed looking at and shopping potteries, metal objet, wooden carvings and hand-made clothes.

The Season of Alpine Plants

It becomes warmer and warmer. The alpine flowers of Mt. Yatsugatake start to bloom. This is a dicentra which is called the queen of alpine flowers here. The curly red petals are cute.

Nice view of snow-covered mountains

I visited a village in fresh verdure at the foot of Japan Alps on a sunny day. I had a nice view of snow-covered mountains and dark green meandering river in lush green vegetation. 

Shirakoma Pond before breaking up its ice

I visited the pond on 23 April, when the road near there was open after clearing snow. The pond was still covered thick ice but I felt the breaking up it there soon. The middle of it was honey-combed and melted ice blocks were floating near the shore. Spring is near at hand!

Cherry-blossom Season in Kobe

From our Nagano in early spring to Kobe I went out to the reunion of our old mountain club. Walking along Ashiya River at the foot of Mt. Rokko, row of cherry trees was in full bloom.

Butterbur Sprout

We have gentle and warm rain this morning. Walking in our garden I found light green butterbur sprout, through which we surely feel spring has come. We are also able to eat the sprouts making Tempura and they fit beer very well. I am looking forward to have them with cold beer.

Spring Atmosphere at Lake Suwa

On a sunny morning I visited Lake Suwa with my wife, where snow is disappeared and early spring breeze blows along the shore. We saw young high school students rowing a boat there with good shout spirited.

Our forest covered with deep snow

Japanese archipelago has been covered in winter low pressure since the beginning of this week. Our forest has been covered with thick snow. Seasons seem to come and go in winter and spring.

Adonis, the flower of early spring

We hear the news of flowering with the beginning of March. I went to a hill near Lake Suwa, where snow has just melted. I saw yellow flowers of Adonis blooming at the south slope of the hill although cold wind was blowing..

Early Spring

February has finished and we have a warm morning. I remember the sentences from Walden of H. D. Thoreau.

One attraction in coming to the woods to live was that I should have leisure and opportunity to see the spring come in. … Fogs and rains and warmer suns are gradually melting the snow; the days have grown sensibly longer; I see how I shall get through the winter without adding to my wood-pile, for large fires are no longer necessary.

Peaks of rock and ice

The snow storm of weekend ceased and we have a fine morning. The peaks of rock and ace of Yatsugatake are seen clearly from the foot. 

Merry Christmas!!

The forest near our house has already covered with snow. We are able to see high mountains of Yatsugatake covered with white snow above the forest.

Orange Azalea

We have rainy days recently. I visited Kirigamine this Saturday. We were able to see clustered orange flowers of azalea in the foggy grassland.

Fairy Slippers

We are able to find fairy slippers in the moist forest near our house in this season. The orchid bears a solitary white to pink flower marked with purple at the tip of an erect stalk. They are called “Hotei-Orchid” in Japan since the flower looks the smiling face of legend god Hotei.

Daffodils and Cherry Blossoms

Spring has come to our mountainous country. Cherry blossoms are blooming along a river side with yellow flowers of daffodils. We are enjoying this warm weather seeing flowers here and there.