With the period of sustained rainfall now mostly behind us, it’s time to move on to more pleasing thoughts: the autumn foliage season which is drawing nearer by the day, brisk beautiful mornings in the fresh autumn air, and the occasional super moon.
Last Saturday, the Gosenjaku Hotel was the site of an annual event called a tsukimikai (月見会) or “moon viewing.” With the moon reaching its closest point to the earth, a small crowd gathered to enjoy a communal viewing allow with some other festive events like mochi pounding:
While Saturday offerend a glimpse of the famous harvest moon, however, the weather on Sunday night was more cooperative. With fewer clouds, the scene was a dazzling full moon that actually brightened the walkways around the park.
Those in attendance were suitably impressed.
If you’re thinking that you need a supermoon to enjoy the night sky in Kamikochi, however, you really don’t. On clear nights, beautifully starscapes fill the skies and draw hopeful crowds out of their huts after dark to marvel at a spectacle all but unknown to city dwellers in Japan. Light pollution in urban areas makes stargazing a wondrous novelty and helps fuel some of the interest in overnight stays.
Autumn Colors Arrive in Karasawa
In case you haven’t heard yet, autumn foliage has started to show up in the Karasawa Col. White it has yet to reach its peak, the mosaic of color is welcome sight and has got us excited about what the near future holds. We hope to be able to show you some photos within the next week, but in the meantime, why not head to The Karasawa Hyutte’s (涸沢ヒュッテ) Facebook page and have a look at their recent posts. They should leave you in no doubt about why the area is among Kamikochi’s most popular spots to enjoy autumn foliage.
That’s all for now. Stay tuned for updates on Kamikochi’s autumn season, 2015 edition.
Sources of Information:
National Park Guide website: http://npg-alps.net
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