霧ヶ峰 Kirigamine, ridge of fog, on a fine clear day

These photos are from my summer trip to "Shinshu",

the area of Japan Alps, a month ago.

Japan Alps in the backdrop

Kirigamine Plateau spreads at the height of 1500-1900 meters in Yatsugatake-Chushin Kogen Quasi-National Park in Nagano.  It is a shield volcano with gentel slopes and the highest peak of Mt. Kuruma-yama (1925m).

As "Kirigamine" means "ridge of fog", the place is well known for fog.  When a warm southern wind near Lake Suwa suddenly blows up toward Kirigamine, the air cools very quickly because of 1000 meters elevation difference and produce fog.  The bell of 霧鐘塔 tells hikers direction in dense fog. While a sweeping view of the Japanese Alps which can be seen from 1600-1800m hills on a sunny day is breathtaking, the scenes created by streaming dense fog and light fog is fascinating as well.

The gentle rolling slopes are filled with alpine plants.  It was a little early to see many flowering plants of summer.  August would be the best time to go for flowers if you are okay with many tourists of high season.



シシウド, or Angelica, are outstanding with their height and big flowers.   

 Up close to the flowers, they look like burst-open flowers of fireworks.

ニッコウキスゲ, or Hemerocallis dumorteri, is a face of summer in Kirigamine. They were not yet to bloom extensively except the slopes of Mt. Kuruma-yama.



runway for glider

Kirigamine is the birthplace of glider in Japan.  Beyond the grass is a runway for gliders built in 1933.  I wonder how it would be to take off overlooking the city below.

The sightseeing road "Venus Line" (127km) which connects Tateshina highland over Mt. Kuruma-yama and Utsukushigahara highland runs through the area.  



 There are well-organized boardwalks and trails.

My last trip to Kirigamine: Flowers in season at Kirigamine

Green Day