Shikoku
October 2024
Shikoku, Japan. We had a wonderful drive and walk 15 day visit to rural Japan. The first stop Itano-Gun (Tokushima Town). Situated at the mouth of the Yoshino river, from the camera's position pointing Northeast.
Mount Bizan, Cafe and restaurant with a view to Tokushima.
One of the many maples on our way to Hyakken Falls, Tokushima Prefecture.
Hyakken Falls. There were no people. Timeless, patience, respect and achievement.
A field with a feeding butterfly, near the Kashihara Rice Terraces. The rice terraces are located 700 metres above sea level.
On a side road near the Kashihara Rice Terraces, Tokushima Prefecture. Lumen had fun recording a video for Laoise, Nicholas and Matilda.
Ochiai Village along the Yoshino River in the Iya Valley. Unique homes and stone walls built between the mid-Edo period and the Meiji period on a steep hillside. Standing on the walkway of the historical Samurai house - late 17th century.
In Saijo, Maegami-ji Temple (No 64). One of the eighty eight temples of the Shikoku Pilgrimage. Saijo is the "Spring Water Capital of Japan". Water from the Kamo River permeates into the surrounding land and bubbles up in numerous places; at one time Asahi Breweries made their beer in this town. Now there are mainly small craft breweries.
Maegami-ji temple grounds - Advisor to Elders.
From Saijo, a beautiful relaxed hike in Eastern Ehime. Mount Tsurugi, 1,955 metres.
Mount Tsurugi. Autumn colours are starting to be displayed at the higher altitudes. Ground cover bamboo is widespread.
Seedlings, undergrowth near Oku-Iya Kazurabashi (vine) bridges.
Omogo Gorge ("Omogokei"). Located at the foot of Mount Ishizuchi. This Mount is 1,982 meters. The Gorge is 10 kilometres long. Mount Ishizuchi is the highest mountain in Western Japan.
Omogo Gorge. Cristal waters. Stay and rest awhile.
Omogo Gorge, facing the cliff face from the opposite side of the river.
A bridge over Omogo Gorge river.
Matsuyama, Ishiteji Temple house. Temple 51 on the Shikoku pilgrimage.
73% of Japan is mountains and 67% is forested. In the lowlands forests are mostly gone. Much of the forested areas are not natural, but cut and planted with lumber trees. Biodiversity is somewhat lacking in the forests. 1% of Japan forests can be considered primeval. Forests of Kyushu, Shikoku and halfway up the coast of Honshu are home to Pinaceae, Cupressaceae and Southeast Asia broadleaf evergreen trees; the beech family (Fagaceae), laurels (Lauraceae), the asterids (Theaceae) and decidious maples (Sapindaceae). These include Quercus (oak), Lithocarpus (stone-oak), Castanopsis (chinquapin), Cinnamomum (camphor), Machitus (bay) and Camellia (tea, the earliest fossil record of Camellia are the leaves of C. abensis from the early opening of the Japan sea). In the low mountains lives the elegant Pinus thurbergii (Japanese black pine). A revered garden and bonsai tree and is wide spread along coastal stretches. The Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) "Sugi", both beloved and not loved, is the national tree of Japan. An evergreen conifer, some are 50 to 70m tall with a girth of 10m or more, which is amazing for typhoon swept Japan. A close relative to to redwoods and sequoias and it is an important timber tree. After WWII a big program to re-forest the mountainsides was initiated. Both Sugi and "Hinoki" conifer (Chamarcyparis obtusa) were planted; the negative effect of pollen season (late winter to early spring) has millions of people suffer for weeks of hay-fever from the clouds of pollen from the mountains. The timbers are however too important for Japan and pollen releases will continue each year. The Hinoki have a special place in Japan, for its revered wood and fragrant essential oils. (Sources: Botanyboy Plant Encyclopedia, Wikipedia and files).
Conifers are classed as Gymnosperms because they have “naked seeds” which are not surrounded by an ovary. Gymno comes from the Greek for “naked”. Conifers have leaves that are needle-like or scale-like. The word “Conifer” means cone-bearing. They bear pollen cones and seed cones, not flowers and fruit. The male and female cones are borne on the same tree. The male cones are usually found on the bottom of trees and the female cones are usually found at the tops. Pine, Spruce, Cedar and Cypress are softwoods used in construction and furniture manufacture. Also known as the Maidenhair Tree, the Ginkgo is a Gymnosperm but is strictly not a Conifer. It has catkin-like pollen cones like a Conifer but does not produce seed cones. Its seeds develop into round green fruits on the end of stalks. The fertilisation process involves motile sperm, a feature of Mosses, Liverworts and Ferns. Hence it is in a botanical class of its own and is often referred to as a “living fossil”. The Ginkgo, is the only surviving member of a family, which has existed since the Permian period 270 million years ago and the only surviving member of the Ginkgo genus. (Sources: Treeguideuk.co.uk, Wikepedia, Farmpark.org)
Ginko biloba. Near Matsuyama castle. This tree is not uncommon in Shikoku.
Near Nishinooka village. Our Kondoke inn Ryokan host drove us up the mountain and we made our way up to the splendid water falls of the Kompinaje mountain.
Bridge in Toon, Nishinooka village. Some rain during the day. We had a very rewarding day.
Falls on Kompinaje mountain. Wonder about dense growth on steep inclines, light and the ever sound of cascading water.
A prepared path up the mountain. These paths are part of the pilgrimage trail and cross the entire Shikoku.
Toon, Nishinooka village. Bamboo and tea.
Water feature in Nishinooka village, near Joruri-ji temple.
Pilgrim path. Namekawa waterway in the valley near Nishinooka village. Pilgrims left many small river stone shrines.
Otoyo, in Kochi prefecture. Small building near the temple, adjacent the 3,000 year old giant cedar tree (Cryptomeria japonica), "Sugi no Osugo".
"Sugi no Osuge"- 3,000 years. It may look like two trees, however the two trunks are connected at the root, hence its nickname, "the wedded cedar". Typhoons have damaged the tree and to protect the tree ceramic tiles and copper plating is attached to the damaged bark to protect from further damage and contamination.
Takamatsu. Ritsurin garden. Maintained for 400 years.
Miguel.
Visitors to the garden and teahouse.
Garden tea house. Beautiful sugi and hinoki woodwork, standing the test of time.
Cook and bbq area for pilgrims and overnight campers. Mt Kajigomori.
Mount Kajigamori.
A pilgrim path. We did not walk all path's and made good use of our roomy Daihatsu cube car. We enjoyed so much nature, tranquility and what Shikoku mountains made us experience.
Tierra del Fuego
April 2012
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On our way to the Uttermost Part of the Earth, reflecting by a still pond with dropped leaves from winter, in early spring (Amsterdam). Highly recommended to read: UTTERMOST Part Of The EARTH by E. Lucas Bridges – A History Of Terra Del Fuego And The Fuegians. Buenos Aires, August 1947. A personally fitting dedication by Mr E. Lucas Bridges:
TO MY DEAR WIFE -
And o’er the hills, and far away
Beyond their utmost purple rim,
Beyond the night, across the day,
Through all the world she followed him
​
TENNYSON
USHUAIA Port. From where we departed for our sojourn through the Terra Del Fuego Channels. The port has few ships – and one has a vista to the Beagle Channel.
From WIKIPEDIA: The channel was named after the ship HMS Beagle during its first hydrographic survey of the coasts of the southern part of South America which lasted from 1826 to 1830. During that expedition, under the overall command of Commander Phillip Parker King, the Beagle's captain Pringle Stokes committed suicide and was replaced by captain Robert FitzRoy. The ship continued the survey in the second voyage of Beagle under the command of captain FitzRoy, who took Charles Darwin along as a self-funding supernumerary, giving him opportunities as an amateur naturalist. Darwin had his first sight of glaciers when they reached the channel on 29 January 1833, and wrote in his field notebook "It is scarcely possible to imagine anything more beautiful than the beryl-like blue of these glaciers, and especially as contrasted with the dead white of the upper expanse of snow."
Taking a 360 degree view, it always rains somewhere. This is the home of the Yamana people, decimated and now absent from these lands, through pestilence and disease, brought by European settlers.
Today pathways are made and passage is easy – Cape Horn, a 'Graveyard of ships' is an apt name; the coastal line is marred with too many sunken ships. Thinking of the absolute terror experienced by its crews and loved ones left behind… The Cape Horn monument for all those perished.
From our comfortable small cruise liner, it was only a short trip to the Cape. We are privileged people.
Early settlers built homes and brought sheep and tame the land. Not Terra Del Fuego, most, if not all settlements were proven indeed foolhardy in ignoring the extreme and severe conditions.
Photograph: Courtesy Ushuaia Museum. 1580 – 1600 First European visitors, Samiento de Gamboa and others. The YAMANA, a sea-going people living in the channels. Living on canoes, men hunting seals from the prow and the women diving the icy waters for shellfish; only a layer of seal grease to protect from the cold. Only the women swam. Fires were lit in the canoes, for comfort. When not at sea, the Yamana stayed in dwellings made of evergreen beech branches. Terra Del Fuego – Land of Fires, because of so many canoes with fires.
Silence, ice in mirror like water and rising mountains. One can only be spell bound by this unique and stunning beauty.
Photograph: Courtesy Ushuaia Museum. The YAMANA, a sea-going people living in the channels. Terra Del Fuego.
Terra del Fuego Canals - light changes continuously, the sun is there, then covered by dark clouds in minutes - snow on the ranges, and not a soul present.