Hanayama in Autumn, Part II
The pictures below were all taken in late October 2000, using my digital camera. I hope you will enjoy these pictures almost as much as when I was physically there surrounded by such natural beauty. It may not be so special for people from North America or Europe, but for Aussies from Down Under, it was a nice change from the evergreen Eucalyptus trees. The Australian bush has its own distinct beauty, but knowing that you will only in a foreign country for a limited time heightens one's enjoyment and appreciation of beautiful places overseas.
All the photos below were taken with my Nikon Coolpix 990 digital camera last autumn (October 2000).
Route 398 crossing one of the rivers in Hanayama.
One of the beautiful waterfalls in the area. This is the second time that I have been here. (Lance, you may remember coming here with Chris, Momoe and me back in October 1999).
This shot and other roadside shots (on Route 398) are pretty typical of all the beautiful autumn foliage that enveloped us once we were in Hanayama. I rode through the same area back in the summer of 1998 with Dave and Chris, and it looked very different. For those of you in Miyagi or Sendai, Hanayama is definitely worth a visit in mid to late October.
My cycling and hiking buddy, Chris, on the easy track which took us to the waterfall shown above. Kouyou(autumn foliage) viewing in Hanayama is a pretty relaxed affair. It is more like a stroll in a beautiful garden, nothing that serious trampers would consider to be "real hiking". As you can see by the way that Chris is dressed, it is indeed a long pleasant stroll under the colourful trees as opposed to any serious bushwalking.
Yours truly looking less than my Sunday best on Route 398. As you can see, the hills and mountains in Hanayama are ablazed with the fiery reds, oranges and yellows, neatly and randomly intersected by the darker greens of natural or planted conifers.