Yamanakako Hana-no-miyako (flower palace) Park is located 1,000 meters above sea level near Lake Yamanakako overlooking Mount Fuji in the village of Yamanakako in Yamanashi Prefecture. You can enjoy several species of flowers from April through October in the fields of a 30,000ha area. There is a huge greenhouse where warm season plants, orchids and some other tropical species are grown throughout the year.
Lake Yamanakako, Yamanakako-village, Yamanashi, 8/28/2023
The Aokigahara Woodland is formed on the Aokigahara lava flow that was created by the eruption of Mount Nagao and other volcanoes located next to Mount Fuji. Over the course of a thousand and two hundred years, the vegetation on the lava flow has gradually progressed and the woodland which spans an area of 3,000 hectares has eventually been formed; however, the sedimentary soil in the woodland is shallow (about 10cm), therefore trees cannot grow beyond a certain height.
Lake Sai Bat Cave is located at the end of the Aokigahara Woodland. There are Japanese hemlock, Nikko fir, Japanese cypress, Japanese oaks, various types of Japanese maples and other tall and mid height trees. The floor of the woodland is rather dark even in daytime and it is covered with lichens, mosses and ferns. The dominant species are mosses.
The formation of the Aokigahara Woodland and the vegetation surrounding the Bat Cave, Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi, 8/18/2023
Aokigahara Woodland, Mosses and Lichens, Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi, 8/18/2023
Vois Vert Trio, consisting of three members: Seizo Azuma (piano), Akihiro Miura (violin) and Ryoichi Fujimori (cello), held an afternoon concert named Yatsugatake Concert at the Yatsugatake Yamabiko Hall, in the city of Hokuto, in Yamanashi Prefecture, on August 16, 2023. They played four pieces composed by Franz Peter Schubert. The trio holds a similar concert on August 16 annually. The Yatsugatake Yamabiko Hall has been known for its good acoustics.
A walking tour on Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine and the Shimoyoshida Nishiura district (Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture) was conducted on August 11, 2023. The guests were a family of five from Los Angels, CA, USA. This is a very popular tour (Refer to the articles on August 3 and 4, 2023).
The road to Arakur Sengen Shrine and the Five-Storied Pagoda, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, 8/11/2023
Tsukinoe bookstore and M2 restaurant, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, 8/11/2023
Inden means India-derived and implies products came from India. Inden products are deerskin handicrafts dyed with Japanese lacquer. Some leather products were brought into the country by Portuguese ships in the 17th century. The Kofu Basin has been known for its use of deerskin and Japanese lacquer. The high temperatures and high humidity of the basin is suited for drying Japanese lacquer. It is said that Yushichi Uehara devised the unique methods of putting lacquer designs on deerskin about 400 years ago and the history of Koshu Inden started. Inden was designated as one of the Traditional Crafts by the country and also as one of the Traditional Crafts of Yamanashi by the Yamanashi Prefectural Office. (Refer to the articles on August 2, 2023)
The exhibition of “The Patterns Of Inden, Plant Patterns On Deerskin” has been held at the Inden Museum in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture during June 24 to September 10, 2023. (https://www.inden-ya.co.jp/, https://www.inden-museum.jp/)
A flower arrangement, Inden patterns, Inden products, an example of the “fusube” dyeing method, a lunch box and a wounded trunk of a lacquer tree
Here are some more interesting backstreets and signboards. There are some changes in the shops from the pictures in April, 2018 (https://ymmt.yamanashietsuo.net/2018/04/).
A walking tour on Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine and the Shimoyoshida Nishiura district in the city of Fujiyoshida in Yamanashi Prefecture was conducted on July 31, 2023. The guests were two women from New Zealand. This is a very popular tour (Refer to the articles on April 26, 2018 and August 3, 2023). Shimo means down or south, so Shimoyoshida is the south region of Yoshida (or Fujiyoshida) town. Fujiyoshida is the current name of the municipality.
Two-chome (block) and three-chome areas of Honcho Street in the Shimoyoshida region are popular picture-taking spots where you can see Mount Fuji towering over a narrow shopping street with colorful signboards and cluttered overhead-power lines. The Shimoyoshida area in Fujiyoshida town is also home to a number of weaving shops. Although it is rather quiet now; however, it is used to be a bustling textile production region that dates back to the Heian Period, more than 1,000 years ago, until the post-war era.
The clear water that runs from Mount Fuji is exceptionally suitable for dying and production of high-quality textile. Fujiyoshida has been known for its high technology and its quality textile production. Because of Mount Fuji, an active volcanic mountain, the soils in the fujiyoshida region are andosols formed in volcanic tephra and unsuitable for farming. Therefore, the locals engaged in raising silkworm and weaving from early on. The weaving industry of Fujiyoshida suffered a blow when imported textiles starting pouring into the country in the 1960s, and the size of the industry kept shrinking during the 1970s and 1980s. Despite the setbacks, the weavers of Fujiyoshida have transmitted their skills and preserved the local craft. A lot of local weaving businesses have specialized in niche products unsuited for mass production and branched out in new directions, and they have kept producing outstanding elegance. That is why they are still here now.
Honcho Street is located in the middle of the Shimoyoshida region, and the east side of Honcho Street is called Higashiura and the west side is called Nishiura. Ura means back. In the peak days of the weaving industry, it is said that the sound of the weaving machines from the Higashiura district and the sound of the drunk people from the Nishiura district were heard. Today, you can observe the remains of the Showa Era structures in the Nishiura district. The nostalgic backstreets, shops and houses have been maintained in the Nishiura district. In a way, Higashiura used be the wholesale district and Nishiura used to be the entertainment district.
The south region of the city of Fujiyoshida is called Shimoyoshida. Shimo means down or south.
The Nishiura District of the Shimoyoshida area in the city of Fujiyoshida in Yamanashi Prefecture is well-known for its nostalgic scenery of the Showa era. Here, you can see Mount Fuji and old shopping streets with power poles, overhead signs, cables and wires. And, you can enjoy coffee and meals at renovated cafes and restaurants, imagining a town that is stuck in time.
Gekkouji Station and Nishiura Street, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, 7/30/2023
Mount Fuji was still hidden behind the thick clouds; therefore, I couldn’t see it from one of the popular picture-taking spots in the street.
