The penny finally dropped last night when a period of balmy, summer-like weather gave way to a downpour lasting until this morning. With the rainy season drawing closer each day, this could be seen as the shape of things to come. But a spell of seasonal rain won’t put a damper on the snow white anemone lining Kamikochi’s paths and reigniting that sense of wonder that comes with summer in the Northern Alps.
Anemone, or “nirinsou” as they are called in Japanese, are among the many representative flowering plants of Kamikochi. Delicate white petals stand out against the crisp spring greens of the plant’s leaves to present a picture unique to this time of year in rather the same way that the snowy mountain tops have contrasted so brilliantly with the clear blue skies in recent weeks. In open fields, the blooms are just about everywhere you look.
Not to be outdone by the anemone, other distinctive plants have begun flowering around the park as well. Whether you know it by its scientific name, Polygonatum odoratum, or the more poetic and biblical variant Solomon’s Seal, this flower is always a welcome addition to the landscape:
And there you have it: more green and white than you’d find at a Wolfsburg pep rally. On a more serious note, now that it’s June, visitors will want to be checking the weather reports on a daily basis and, even if rain is not forecast, it is always advisable to pack rain gear and layer for the falling temperatures that often accompany rainy weather. It’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it, as the old saying goes.
Please visit our Facebook page with any questions you might have about travelling to Kamikochi. We hope you all get the most out of your late spring/early summer visits to Japan’s favorite mountain playground.
Sources of Infromation:
National Parks Foundation website: http://www.bes.or.jp/kamikochi
National Park Guide website: http://npg-alps.net
