Monday, June 2, 2014

ONE OF THE HEAVIEST SNOW AREA IN THE WORLD.

                      We went to a 3 day tour to experience the mid winter in Toyama.

                            猛暑のなか、真冬を体験しに立山に行きました。


We arrived at Ogisawa in Nagano.  扇沢です。


Lake Kurobeko. 黒部湖です。


By cable car 2 times and by trolley bus 2 times.

ケーブルカーで大観望へ。


We arrived at Hotel Tateyama.
This hotel stands at the highest position in Japan(2450 meters above sea level).

室堂のホテル立山に着きました。

Then we walked another road to see the snow walls.

大谷ウォーキングに出かけました。

Snow walls would become 20 meters high  at the beginning in April.

4月の初旬は 雪の壁が、20 メートル の高さだったそうです。

My wife looked very short. This snow wall is about 13 meters high.

妻が小さく見えます。

Next day, we started to walk near this hotel to look for rock ptarmigans.

翌日はライチョウ探しのウォーキングです。


Mikorigaike pond.  This pond is covered with snow. 

みくりが池はほとんど雪に覆われていました。


Two skiers in this mountain. スキーヤーが2人いました。


A hot spring valley. 地獄谷です。


Closing up. クローズアップです。


We found this kind of birds. 雷鳥がいました。


A pair of the birds. 番いです。


A male bird. 雄の雷鳥です。


A female bird. 雌です。


A pair of the birds. こちらも番いです。


A male bird among pine trees. ハイマツの下が住みかです。


The bird and a mountain. 雷鳥と山です。


A male bird vs. another male one, territorial  disputing.

縄張り争いも見ました。

Territorial disputing too. この頃は、繁殖期の様です。























62 comments:

  1. Extraordinary landscapes! One never associates such views with Japan... The snow walls are so impressive! I have never seen anything similar!

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    1. Dear Sissi.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

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  2. Gorgeous photos! I can't imagine those snow walls!

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    1. Dear Sarah.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  3. Hello Minoru,

    What a wonderful trip you took! I never before saw snow walls. Thanks for sharing your blue today.

    Happy Blue Monday!

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    1. Dear Sally.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  4. Minoruさん こんにちは。
    ここのところ、真夏並みの暑さでうんざりのところ
    冬毛?のライチョウを nice shotsでいろいろ見せて頂けて感激です。(*゚▽゚ノノ゙☆
    映画 シャイニングを想わせるような雪山のホテル。 営業中なんですね Σ(゚д゚;)!
    ライチョウは番で行動する可愛い鳥なんですね。 その昔、野鳥の会の会員でした。(笑)

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    1. Dear Anzu sama.
      こんばんは。雷鳥は今が繁殖期だそうです。冬毛から夏毛に移行する時期だそうです。人に慣れてしまって全然逃げないので驚きました。
       私も、野鳥の会に興味を持って、調べた事がありますが、あまりにも大きな組織なので、パスしました。

      Delete
  5. The photos are amazing...fabulous trip... Thanks for sharing...

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    1. Dear Viera.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

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  6. Replies
    1. Dear Linda.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  7. Great pictures and winter landscapes. The walls of snow look amazing !
    Greetings

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    1. Dear Ela.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  8. Wow! That's a lot of snow, Minoru.
    What a fabulous trip this must have been.
    I love the photograph of your wife in front of all that snow. :-)

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    1. Dear Lisa.
      Thank you very much for your comment. I will say to my wife that you love the photo,My wife will be happy.

      Delete
  9. Replies
    1. Dear Magical Mystical Teacher.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  10. Oh I will always remember Nagano for the winter Olympics and the very dramatic conclusion of the ladies figure skating championship where Tara Lipinski's upset of favorite fellow American Michelle Kwan.

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    1. Dear Photo Cache.
      Thank you very much for your comment. I remember the Olympiccs clearly.

      Delete
  11. Wow, gorgeous mountain scenery! The hotel is in an awesome spot.. Love the birds, great shots.
    Have a happy week!

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    1. Dear Eileen.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  12. What a fantastic trip this must have been. The scenery is really gorgeous. I have never seen such snow walls!

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    1. Dear Pat. Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete

  13. "Aqueles que passam por nós, não vão sós,
    não nos deixam sós.
    Deixam um pouco de si, levam um pouco de nós." (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)
    Uma linda e abençoada semana.
    Beijos Marie.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Algodao.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  14. Very pretty Blues. I enjoy 'looking at' snow. LOL. I am a Texas girl we don't get much snow.
    I enjoyed my visit I am following you now. Come by and see my Blues. You might enjoy following me too and seeing some pics of Texas!
    Have a great week,
    Sherry

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    1. DearGrantham Lynn.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  15. OMG, that is literally on top of the world. I can't imagine how they keep the hotel building and the roads free of snow! And the bird shots are great as well. Thanks for the tour, as i wont be able to see such a place in this lifetime!

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  16. Very interesting! The hotel would be so great!

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    1. Dear Holly Myers.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  17. Wow - spectacular shots of all that snow!

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    1. Dear Lady Fi.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  18. Wonderful shots! Wow! We will have 93 degree temps tomorrow and you are frolicking in the snow! Wonderful share. Come visit soon. Have a great week!

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    1. Dear Annesphamily.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  19. Lovely scenery, great shots! I wish I was in the snow right now, it's so hot here!

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    1. Dear Karen.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  20. Amazing photos! Beautiful! Thank you for sharing! Happy Blue Monday!
    Sonya

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    1. Dear Sonya.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  21. I love your photos very much especially the snow walls. It was so thick and huge. I remembered my room mate in US college came from Nagano and I didn't know it has so much snow there. Thanks for educating me so much.

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  22. Hello Minoru, Beautiful scenery and wonderful birds. I've never seen snow walls like that in person only in photos.

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    1. Dear Gunilla.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

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  23. Beautiful!! Boom, Bobbi and Gary.

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    1. Dear Gary.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  24. A winter mountain. That is my dream.

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    1. Dear rainfield61.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  25. 急な暑さでテレビも大騒ぎですが、涼しいところは涼しいんですね~、というか、寒いくらいでしょうか?(^^)

    立山の雪の壁も前からぜひ行ってみたいと思っています。ホテルも素敵だし、雷鳥もたくさん見られて、今回もいい旅行をなさいましたね。うらやましいです。

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    1. Dear Merry Witch.
      こんばんは。コメントありがとうございます。寒くはありませんでしたが、強い日差しに対応するのが大変な贅沢な悩みを味わいました。
       雷鳥がこんな近くで見る事が出来るとは思っていませんでしたので、とてもラッキーでした。

      Delete
  26. Maybe one day I can visit this place. Thanks for sharing, Minoru. :)

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    1. Dear lina.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  27. Wow; another GORGEOUS trip experiencing now♡♡♡ I've never seen snow pile up high like that p;) And being able to see Rai-cho etc... Happy for your trip with your wife; Thank you very much for sharing these wonderful pictures☆☆☆

    Sincerely from Yamaguchi, xoxo Miyako*

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    1. Dear Miyako sama.
      Thank you very much for your comment. We were very lucky to be able to see Rai-tyo. And cosective 3 days were very fine.

      Delete
  28. Your images are very beautiful. Those are lovely birds. I'm always amazed at the extreme weather conditions that some animals can live in.

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    1. Dear Cosette.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  29. The snow will return next winter ... While enjoying the summer ;))))
    a hug

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    1. Dear Laura.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  30. Amazing nature... beautiful at maximum I can express in written words... Wonderful - again and again!! Have a great week ahead!

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    1. Dear Alexa.
      Thank you very much for your comment. I feel very happy you like my post.

      Delete
  31. wow! A hotel in the snow and the road through the snow looks scary .

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    1. Dear Thomas.
      Thank you very much for your comment.

      Delete
  32. Very nice pics!!! このホテル泊まってみたいです。 でもやはり車がなくてはそこまで行くのは難しいでしょうね。東京はそんなに暑かったんですか?雷鳥の写真が興味深かったです。 実際に見たこともなかったし。

    日本への旅行をそろそろ計画しなくてはならないのですが、ハワイから帰ったばかりで(バケーションではなく、用事でした)、ぼーっとしてます。 友人が飛騨高山を薦めてくれましたが、旅行されたことはありますか?8月の末から、9月半ばなので、まだ残暑が強いですよね? 金沢とかどうでしょう?

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    1. Dear Akemi sama.
      こんばんは。 この頃は近年に無い暑さでした。 このホテルは長野から扇沢までバスで行き、あとは、地下を走るトロリーバスとケーブルカーを4回乗り継いで、ホテルの地下にある、室堂という駅にでます。ピストンコースで往復すればレンタカーは必要ありません。 
       金沢はお薦めです。 古い茶屋街、兼六公園は金沢駅から、近いです。飛騨高山は交通の便がいま一つです。
       参考になさるので、お薦めは、クラブツーリズム、という旅行会社を検索して、「四季の華」「プレミアムステージ」という蘭を見ると、その時期のお薦めコースが出ています。私はその中から、選んで行く事が多いです。
       そこに書いてある、モデルコースを個人で行けるかどうか、考えるのが、ヒントになると思います。
       
       

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