Mt. Ontake

Mt. Ontake (1182m) is one of the mountains in the Takakuma mountain range.
 

It is the highest point in the Kimotsuki watershed.

Aournd the Peak of Mt. Ontake

As I said before, the Takakuma mountain range has the southern limit of Buna’s distribution.
 

What’s more, now I am aware that it also has southern limit of each distribution of a lot of other plants.

 

MIZUNARA, Japanese oak, is one of the plants.

 

If you take “TV Tower Route” to the peak of Mt. Ontake, you may find MIZANARA trees along the ridge around the 9^th station, although I could not find BUNA (Japanese beech). In general, BUNA makes forests with MIZUNARA. So, BUNA must be around there…

(I hear that BUNA can be seen behind the peak of Mt. Ontake, Mt. Onogara side .)

MIZUNARA

When you climb Mt. Ontake, you can go to the Tozanguchi, starting point, by bicycle or car. Tozanguchi is equivalent to the 5^th station.

It’s a 1 and 1/2-hour climb to the peak.

View from Peak (Meinoo Ranch)

I found a falcon flying around the peak.


This is the route to Tozanguchi.

KOYAMA YABUSAME Festival

KOYAMA YABUSAME Festival took place today, October 16^th 2011, in the KIMOTSUKI town.

 A archer shoots an arrow.

YABUSAME is a Japanese traditional horse back archery (the shooting of arrows by samurai while riding a horse). It’s a shrine ritual for the peace and security of a nation, the productiveness of grain and the secure protection from plagues.

*FYI: KOYAMA is the name of a district of KIMOTSUKI town.

YABUSAME is carried out at some shrines nationwide in Japan. Here in KIMOTSUKI town, it is carried out at SHIJYUKUSYO Shrine, which was established during HEIAN era (794-1192), in October every year.

 SHIJYUKUSYO Shrine

The grand festival including YABUSAME ritual of SHIJYUKUSYO shrine used to take place on October 19^th, but recently it has been taking place on the third Sunday of October in order that as many visitors as possible could come to see the festival.

According to the homepage of KIMOTSUKI town, YABUSAME originally began in 1096 and the ritual at SHIJYUKUSYO shrine began in the first half of the 1100s. This means that YABUSAME here in KIMOTSUKI town amazingly has about 900-year history.

YABUSAME has been being handed down over the generations by the “YABUSAME Preservation Society”.

A main archer is picked out of the second grade school boy of a local junior high every year. The former archer who played the main archer in the previous year is supposed to play a sub-archer.

 Main Archer

In most cases, the archer has no experience to ride a horse when he is picked out. So he has to start by horse riding to play the YABUSAME archer.

The training begins at around one month ahead of the festival.

It is believed that the archer must have been struggling with a sense of responsibility for the success in the ritual and a fear of fall from the horse.

The archer is supposed to go for the ritual bathe to the KASHIWABARU seashore near the river mouth of the Kimotsuki River for purification two days ahead of the festival and to isolate himself from his family.

On the day of the festival, after blessed by the Shinto priests in a traditional ritual at the shrine, the main archer and sub-archer perform YABUSAM.

YABUSAME is performed at about 330m long riding road along the approach to the shrine.

There are three targets along the riding road.

After one test run, the archer is supposed to perform three runs to shoot three arrows each run.

The archer’s father is supposed to sprinkle the salt to purify the riding road ahead of each run.

Purification of Riding Road

Sub-archer is supposed to heel the horse in order to shoot arrows as a substitute if the main archer falls from his horse.

As the ritual, it is better that as many arrows as possible meet targets.

However, it is said that the archer does not make all nine arrows meet targets. Why? It is believe that the following year must be worse if all arrows meet their targets, like the full moon is sure to wane on the next night.

This year, six arrows of the nine met the targets.

I believe the following year would be better than this year!

Buried Torii Gate, SAKURAJIMA 1

This is “Buried Torii Gate” at the Kurokami district in Sakurajima.

Buried Torii Gate at Kurokami District

The Torii gate about 3 meters high was filled almost totally with a large amount of volcanic ash from Mt. Sakurajima Volcano when Mt. Sakurajima had a large eruption in 1914.

Mt. Sakurajima is one of most active volcano in the world.

Last year, 896 explosive eruptions were observed by Kagoshima Local Meteorological Observatory.

This year, 758 explosive eruptions have been already counted as of October 10^th.

A caution zone is designated by Kagoshima city within 2km from the center of the craters to ban the access to the craters.

Volcanic alert level is the 3^rd place, level 3, in Japanese five-level rating system.

It is said that a volume of magma equivalent to 90% of the volume of 1914 eruption has already filled a magma chamber just below the Kinko bay and the magma chamber will be filled in 10 or 20 years.

However, according to Kagoshima Local Meteorological Observatory, there seemed to be no immediate sign that the volcanic activities was going up.

And remember, the most advanced monitoring system in the world has been installed around the volcano and it is monitored 24/7.

Be careful for ash fall when you go to Sakurajima!

Dream-like Bar-B-Q Restaurant

Would you like to eat A4 level (the 2^nd place of 15-level rating system for beef quality) beef of Japanese black as much as you want for 90 minutes for 3,150 yen.

What’s more, if you want to plus all-you-can-drink (beer & shochu), the charge will be only 3,950 yen.

People who want to go to the dream-like Bar-B-Q restaurant to enjoy wonderful beef straight from the ranch run by the owner, please visit “SHINMURA CHIKUSAN YAKINIKU HONPO” in Kimotsuki town!

Be sure to make a reservation before visiting there, because it is always crowded!

The 11th Tour De Osumi to Take Place Nov 27, 2011

Registration for the 11th Tour De Osumi has begun.  

This cycle event is just a long ride event not a race.

It is scheduled to take place Sunday on November 27, 2011.

The past several years, in the “A” course (the longest course), the cyclists were expected to go to the Cape Sata after starting at KIRISHIMAGAOKA Park (Kanoya city) and back again.

KIRISHIMAGAOKA Park

But this year, the course is changed.

This year, after starting at the same park, the cyclists need to go south along the Kinko bay until Nejime.

Big camphor tree near the Minami-osumi town hall. It is said that about 450 years ago, Portuguese trading ships were tied up to the tree. 

After passing in front of the Minami-osumi town hall, mountain sections begin.

On the way to Kishira area, you can enjoy a lot of beautiful views, for example, river flows on river bed consisting of flat rocks of HANAZW Park, very beautiful ocean views from the national highway route 448.

A view of HANAZA Park

A view of the Pacific ocean from R448

After passing Kishira, you go up and down along the route 448 to Uchinoura.

Just before entering Uchinoura village, you can pass the Space Center where the asteroid probe “HAYABUSA” was launched.

  Uchinoura Space Center, JAXA

After stopping by the Uchinorau fishing part, about 4.5km climb awaits you.

When you pass the KUNIMI tunnel, about 23km ride are now left.  

The total is 101.4km long.

This cycle event has two other courses.

“B” course is about 70km long (if you choose “B” course, you can experience ride at a bank track course).

And “C” course is for family and it about 30km long.

You can apply this cycle event through this website below.

http://www.sportsentry.ne.jp/event.php?tid=27946

SASHIBA, Grey-faced Buzzard

SASHIBA migration season has come.

SASHIB, Grey-faced Buzzard, is an Asian bird of prey.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey-faced_Buzzard


In this season, all of SASHIBA in Japan stop by around here before flying to South-east Asia, because of this region is on their migration path.

It is said that sometimes more than 10 thousands of SASHIBA fly sough together.

This morning, not so many SASHIBA were watched at the bird-watching party held at Osumi Regional Park because of not so good weather condition.

However we were able to see more than 70 SASHIBA were swirling upward. I could somehow take photos of SASHIBA sitting on a branch although the quality is bad.

The Osumi Regional Park is one of best place for watching SASHIBA migration.

The migration season continues for a while longer.

SERINA

Just before the end of “Eggane (Japanese spiny lobster) Festival”, September 30^th, I somehow made a last-minute reservation at a local restaurant near the Uchinoura fishing port “SERINA” and ate eggane cuisine.

That’s really eggane-packed dishes!

This eggane dishes were served at the Eggane Festival special price 4,000yen.

Although the festival has already ended, eggane fishing season is still continuing.

From October through April, eggane dishes also will be served around Uchinoura, but the price of the eggane dishes are said to be served at real market value.

It is said that eggane is not caught during moonlight nights. So the market price of eggane may go down around in the new of the moon.

Don’t forget, during the heavy wind roughs the sea, eggane is not able to be landed.

Why don’t you come to enjoy the eggane at Uchinoura?