A hearty hello to all of our readers near and far!
In the wake of a nationwide drop in temperatures, Kamikochi is feeling quite chilly these days. We’ve had a few questions about when autumn colors will reach their peak, so here’s a quick update on what’s happening now.
Maple and Birch Trees:
As regular readers of this blog will be aware, maple and elm trees in central Kamikochi reach peak foliage at some point from mid-to-late-October. The helpful bloggers at Five Sense have reported that as of October 11th, maple trees had reached between 40-60% of their peak colors.
The tree visible on the left of this photo is actually a Japanese elm (Ulmus davidiana var. japonica) located just a three minute walk away from Kappa Bridge. As you can see, it’s already mottled with red and orange:
These photos, showing maple leaves of various hues were taken fully ten days ago, so expect to see many more in the next couple of days:
Elsewhere, these riverside forked viburnum leaves show us a subtler side of autumn:
If you’re wondering about the larch trees, they’ll be hitting their peak a little later, around the end of the month.
With that, we conclude this week’s blog. Thanks as always to the hard working folks at Five Sense, whose posts we’ve been pillaging with gleeful abandon for years now.
If you are heading into Kamikochi in the near future, be sure to check the weather and dress accordingly as it can be quite chilly these days. Morning temperatures have dropped to 6 degrees Celsius with afternoon highs climbing to a lofty 12 degrees (brrr!)
Till next time, stay safe and warm!
Sources of Information:
Nature Guide Five Sense, Kamikochi blog: https://fivesense.guide/blog/today/124932/
