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Thursday, August 1, 2013

Mysteriously radiant Atera-blue



On the day one of our summer trip to Kiso, my husband and I left our home, Nara, at 6:00 a.m.



About six hours later, we were driving across the Atera Bridge leading to the Atera Gorge, Nagano.

The remnants of the forest railway & the sparkling water flowing through the granite rocks and boulders
When  we entered Okuwa Village, I was caught by the aqua-blue water of the Atera River which adjoins the Kiso River. No one except the local forestry officers was allowed to enter this gorge till the forest railway was abolished in 1965.


Atera Gorge runs about 15 kilometers covering variety of landscapes including falls, rapids, stunning rocks, and crystal-clear waters running through granite rocks.



We drove off and hiked  in the forest for waterfalls and to be bathed in the negative ions.  This suspension bride is a gateway to the forest adventure.


Kiso is noted for the Japanese Cypress.


There were a lot of steep steps to climb to reach the place where I took this photo of the waterfall. 




another suspension bridge in the forest



Leaving the forest, we walked along the road by the river.


 
The water is so clear that you can see the riverbed.
The white granites on the riverbed make the water shine transparent blue at the shallow places
and emerald green at the deeper places.



Be careful!
The water seems to have been less clear because of the early morning downpour of the day but I thought it still was radiant and beautiful.  It is said that the water restores its crystal clear Atera-blue on its own in two days even after torrential rain.

46 comments:

  1. I would love to walk in such a beautiful pristine place - the woods, the crystal clear water, lovely bridge - but the second best thing is to take this lovely wander with you.

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  2. What a fantastic vieuws Stardust.
    Have a wonderful day.

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  3. Wow! Wish I could also be at such serene and scenic place...

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  4. Hi,Yoko
    思わず飲み込まれそうな勢いの流水、水、水、ですね!夏にふさわしい清々しいポストです。コメント書いてる今、雨が降り出しました。Yokoさんのポストを見ながら少し涼しくなった気分です!8月に入りました。あわただしい日が続きそうですので、break time of bloggingに入ります。See you in September.
    Tomoko

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  5. I visited this region back in 2009, and you can see some of my photos on Flickr.

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    1. Your photos took my breath away. Thank you for sharing. I like your way of displaying the images, inserting the azure blue skies among the aqua blue water. When we went there, it seems to have downpoured in the morning, but still I felt the water “almost transparent blue”, and remembered the title of the novel by Ryu Murakami ,“限りなく透明に近いブルー, by association.

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  6. What a wonderful place to have around and visit! I wouldn't mind going here several times a year :-)

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  7. Fabulous photos Yoko!
    I love the aqua water,so refreshing and energizing,the energy of it flows through your images.You must have been loathe to return to the city heat! However these are wonderful memories to have.

    Thank you for sharing the beauty,
    Happy weekend,
    Ruby

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  8. Excelente reportaje sobre ríos, agua y puentes.
    Abrazos.

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  9. A beautiful and peaceful place !
    Thank you for sharing this mysteriouly radiant Adera-blue !
    Hug
    Anna

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  10. What a beautiful bridge. I love bridges, they are such brilliant engineering work. And such great photos you've taken of this Adera bridge. It must be a wonderful experience to visit such places like this. Japan is really a special exotic place. I'm very glad that there are such fine blogs as your Stardust-blog and the Sapphire-blog showing us and telling us about Japan. It's fantastic. Thank you, Yoko.
    Grethe ´)

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  11. Cudowne miejsce. Mosty nad krystalicznie czystą wodą i wodospady. Tylko spacerować i podziwiać. Pozdrawiam.
    Wonderful place. Bridges over the crystal clear water and waterfalls. Just walk around and admire. Yours.

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  12. ほんとに水の色がきれいですね。色んな条件で造りだされるのでしょうね。心の中まで沁み通る美しさです。思わず手をつけてみたくなる気持ちわかります。adra-blueというのは何からきているのでしょう?

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    1. ご指摘ありがとう。タイトルはAdera-blueでしたが、本文最後はタイポでAdra-blueになっていました。今、訂正しました。阿寺渓谷の水色が見たこともない色で素敵なので、その色をAdera-blueと書いてみました。朝のゲリラ雨の影響と写真技術の未熟さから十分に阿寺川の水色を再現できていないと感じます。信じられないくらい限りなく透明に近いアクアブルーなんです。

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    2. 今ごろ気づいたのですが、「阿寺」はAteraでした。本文訂正しました。疑問はそこからきていたのでしょうか?

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  13. I am impressed with this wonderful location and excellent pictures. Your blog is very nice!
    I would like to be your blog follower.
    Have a nice day !

    Aukse

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  14. Just looking at that beautiful water makes me feel less hot! :)

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  15. Wow, Yoko. The water is so pure, the environs so peaceful with no crowd whatsoever. And as always, you capture its beauty in all its finesse with your breathtaking captures and complementary narration. The closest to this water-color I have seen in India is in the Himalayas in a small village called Harsil and your post reminded me of my times there. Many thanks for sharing this place, wish you a super lovely weekend ahead. :)

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  16. Hi, beautiful post. Lush greenery everywhere ! Love nature ! Cool post, thanks for sharing this cool spot with us.

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  17. とても澄んだ無数のブルーの輝きに魅了されます。10枚目のがミステリアスで、いいですね。たっぷりの森林浴、お二人で歩かれてリラックスされた事でしょう。
    Have a nice weekend!

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  18. That is a dream of a vacation place! So much beauty and serenity! Water to calm the whole being and to refresh the soul, blue and turquoise to make the heart happy, tree and leave green for cleaning the air! Thank you for showing us your wonderful photos Yoko san! :-)
    Wishing you a happy weekend!

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  19. 今朝は涼しいうえに阿寺渓谷のしぶきまで感じられるような写真の数々に癒されます。エネルギッシュにあちこちに足を運んでアップされるのもすごいです。

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  20. Your narrative and pictures quickly pulled me into this place of wonderment. I can imagine the water gurgling and bubbling happily down the rocky pathways of the rivers. Walking amid such a fresh and untouched corner of the planet must have been a joy for you and your husband to experience together.

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  21. Gorgeous photos, and the structures are amazing to see!

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  22. How deliciously clear the water looks! And such refreshing shots. Hope things cool down for you.

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  23. gosh, that's beautiful. the color of the water, the movement, the rocks, the trees...

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  24. おはようございます。美しい峡谷に流れる水は心を洗って呉れます。とても爽やかな気持ちになれました。 木曽五木の代表のヒノキの林もとても美しいです。
     尾張藩が守って呉れた森林の美しさに感謝の気持ちが湧いてきます。

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  25. Beautiful photography. A couple of these remind me of Yosemite!

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  26. Yokoさん こんにちは。
    ご夫婦で夏山へのお出かけ、素晴らしお写真のおかげで、谷川の水の神秘的な色、雪を残す山に登って出会える珍しい可憐な花々。大自然の美しさを家に居ながらにして分けて頂けて感謝します。
    私達もいつかゆっくりこんな山を訪ねてみたいと思いますが 体力が・・・。日々車にばっかり乗っていては駄目ですね。

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  27. Wonderful nature, colors and photos!

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  28. Japan is a land of nature’s miracles. Or is that you always find these miracles to photograph?

    How do people in Japan find time to work when there is so much beauty all around to marvel at?

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    1. There are so many miracles, beauties, and wonders in nature and our surroundings. I find them more through my camera lens. People can't keep still in certain seasons for holidaymaking but anyway many people work diligently looking forward to visit such places on weekend, holidays, .... and further after retirement.

      Your place is one of such places. I think I understand why you got settled there.

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  29. Truly stunning! Thank you for sharing these photos.

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  30. I particularly liked the first photograph. Such stunning scenery. It must have felt wonderful to walk there.

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  31. 本当にきれいな水ですね。今日は特別に暑いので、この記事を拝見して、涼しくなりました。ありがとうございます。山紫水明が昔は当たり前で、都市に近いところもきれいな川が流れていました。このような清流を下流域まで、守りたいですね。関西もとても暑いと聞いています。ご自愛くださいね。

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  32. Greetings, Yoko! That was quite a drive (6 hours!) but was certainly worth it. I enjoyed each of these photos showing off the incredible beauty of this place. Love the bridges! And the trails. And the rivers and the waterfalls and the colors. It looks so unspoiled, Mother Nature at her best! But I would imagine it would attract a lot of tourists. Are there places to say within easy reach?

    Love those Japanese cypress trees, too!

    Hope that you and your family are well! We're doing fine here.

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    1. Yes, Atera Gorge is one of the few unspoiled nature. Since we can drive along the Atera River I’d say its within easy reach, but the road along the river is so narrow that two cars can’t pass by easily and there are few parking lots. During summer holidays and autumn foliage season, people rush to but most of the time people are sparse there. On a weekday of the late July, it looked like my husband and I were alone on the nature trail in the forest along the george.

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  33. I am sorry you have been troubled with a heat wave but obviously you have escaped to this magical place with many coloured water that cools one down with sight and sound. Lovely to hear from you Yoko.

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  34. 残暑お見舞い申し上げます。

    涼しげな川の流れ、緑。
    しばし、ほっとするようです。

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  35. Awesome photograph. thanks for visit my space and your comments

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  36. HI dear am your new follower. pls visit and join my space too
    www.cookingatmayflower.blogspot.com

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  37. it is so wonderful...where is this on the map..I am planning a trip to Japan in the spring

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    1. Atera Gorge is in the southern Nagano Prefecture. It isn’t a major tourist destination though its popularity is on the rise. There are lots of nature and historical sites in Nagano. Wish you make a nice plan. Japan’s spring is really something.

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  38. What a beautiful place. I like the turquoise blue of lakes which are fed from glaciers. I imagine this might be the case here. If your photos were taken during a heat wave I am sure the place was very refreshing.

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  39. Wonderful places and really beautiful pictures....i like this post again.

    greetings, Joop

    thanks for your comment on my blog.

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