You See… I Love Berries


In my childhood days, it was always a long wait for wild raspberry season, and when it came, it was hard work doing the picking. Guaranteed to have been bitten by hoards of mosquitoes and to have been cut, scratched, and stabbed by more thorns than an average person would want to run into in a lifetime, it was worth it all. All for the fresh, sweet and sour berries… And once getting into mountain climbing, wild blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries have always been on my radar.

There is fresh color in Kamikōchi these days, the red of berries and fruits of the many trees, shrubs, and plants growing in the forests. Now, granted these berries aren’t the edible kind, they still bring back the good old days. Take for instance this bush loaded with fresh cherry-like berries. Beautiful…

Ripe Berries of the Season

Below, this yumoto-mayumi tree is soon to bear fruit. The branches of this tree are just loaded. Those lucky birds…

Yumoto-Mayumi Soon to Bear Fruit

While not a berry, this next plant also takes me back. During raspberry picking, or really just about anytime, picking stuck burrs off of my shoelaces, socks, pants, shirts, and everywhere was a daily routine. And that’s not to mention the burrs stuck in the horses manes and tails. Talk about a mess. Well, this kin-mizu-hiki has burrs growing, but looks quite a bit nicer than the ones I’m used to. With that said, it’s still not really wise to be brushing up against them unless you like work ^_^

Burrs on a Kin-Mizu-Hiki Plant

The berries in this last picture are those of maizuru-sou. While one of these berries has already ripened, most are still just spotted with red. 

Maizuru-sou Berries Ripening

Now with autumn in full swing, there are a lot of new delights to find alongside the trail. If there are any of you that are as big of a berry lover as I am, you’d better make your way out here soon!

 

Source of Information:

– Kamikōchi National Park Guide Website (http://npg-alps.net/)