Early Signs of Autumn After Summer’s Peak

Hello to all of our loyal readers around the world.

If you’re reading this at a location in Japan, then you are almost certianly experiencing uncomfortable summer heat. Even in the usually cool Nagano Prefecture, urban locations like Ueda City have been recording temperatures near the 40 degree Celsius mark as locals struggle to stay cool.

As is often the case though, Kamikochi has been much cooler of late with daytime temperatures ranging from 15 to 25 degrees. Keen eyed visitors will also notice that many of the flowering plants and fruit that herald the coming of autumn have begun to appear around the park. Here we see two varieties of plant belonging to the family asteraceae:

The arrival of autumn after a short period of summer weather which itself followed an unusually long rainy season serves to underline the tragicomic nature of the 2020 season so far. On the other hand, anyone seeking an escape from the summer heat should look no further.

Fruit bearing plants have also started to trundle out their wares, as seen with this specimen of the genus sambucus:

English speakers will probably be familiar with the related species traditionally known as elderberry. The berries are poisonous when consumed raw, so don’t even think about it.

Advisory Re: Recent Bear Activity

Prospective visitors to Kamikochi should be aware that there have been incidents of black bears approaching campsites and even attacking campers within the past week. One bear was subdued and captured on the 13th, but at time of writing (08/19), the Konashidaira Camping Area has been closed as a precaution. We’ll offer further updates on this topic as information becomes available.

That concludes this week’s brief entry. Thanks as always to the hard working bloggers at Five Sense for supplying an endless stream of useful info and vivid images.

Enjoy your weekend and stay safe!

Sources of Information:

Nature Guide Five Sense Kamikochi blog: https://fivesense.guide/blog/today/28180/

Shinano Mainichi online news service: https://www.shinmai.co.jp/news/nagano/20200815/KT200814FTI090022000.php