Tag Archives: Asahidake

National Parks in Hokkaido Week: Daisetsuzan National Park

Posted on by
3

I recently traveled around Hokkaido, and wish to share the photos I took in the national parks, complete with alt-text descriptions for the visually impaired. Click on the pictures to see them at full size. Enjoy!

***

Last but not least is Daisetsuzan National Park.

We see a blue sky mostly but not completely filled we white clouds. There is a mountain with two ridges rising from the lower left to the upper right. Three jets of steam rise in the middle, parallel to the ridges. Below we see a little lake, which contains an upside down reflection of the mountain and the sky. At the very bottom we see a bit of fence.

Mt. Asahi, the highest mountain in Hokkaido.

Above there are white clouds with a hole of blue sky in the center. Below there is a mountain rising gently up in the shadow of the clouds, covered with a large snowfield like a white cape. The snowfield is partially in the shade, partially in the sun.

The other side of Mt. Asahi.

In the upper right there is clear blue sky, but to the upper left and in the center right there are clouds blocking the view. Past the clouds on the left there are views of tall green mountains with streaks of snow, with a green plain dotted with little blue lakes below.

Trying to see the Daisetsuzan mountain range and the little lakes below through the clouds.

Above is a clear blue sky, with some white clouds at the edges. Below wee see a set of green and reddish-brown hills with a valley in the center, and a little snowfield in the valley.

And this is what I saw at the top of Mt. Asahi.

Above is a blue sky being covered with large clouds (the one clearing in the clouds is in the upper left). Below we see a reddish-brown volcano with patches of green and a cicular crater at the top.

Mamiya-dake, as seen from the top of Mt. Asahi.

There is an opening of blue sky running from upper left to lower right; otherwise the clouds are blocking the sky. Below we see a steep slope mostly covered with snow; otherwise it is brown. The big cloud above is casting a partial shadow across the snow. In the foreground is the closer side of the crater's rim, reddish-brown with tufts of green shrubs.

Inside the crater of Mamiya-dake.

Above is a clear blue sky partially blocked by a rectangle of clouds. Below we see a giant basin with a mix of snow fields, greenery, rivers from snowmelt, sulfur mixing in the rivers, etc. Around the basin are a ring of mountains, which are the same colors as the basin.

This is a giant basin in the middle of Hokkaido’s highest mountains.

In the center of a brown-gravel field, we see a close up of a clump of flowers. They have delicate little grey-green leaves (a bit like yarrow leaves), with pink flowers rising up. Each flower is deep pink at the base, and nearly white at the tips. Someone said that these flowers look like pink elephants' heads.

There are lots of alpine flowers up here, such as these komakusa flowers (thus named because they are supposed to have a face like a pony).

This is like the previous picture of the great basin, but instead of seeing a ring of mountains we see a relatively even ridgeline in the distance, and the mountains are in the shade, while the basin in partially in the sunshine.

Another view of the great basin.

Above is a clear blue sky. Below we see basalt cliff on the right and left, with one bit of basalt cliff rising in the center like a tooth. The cliffs are mostly brown but are partially covered by pine trees. In the gaps between the cliffs there are waterfalls. The left waterfall is a long white ribbon which spreads out and then narrows. The right waterfall is barely visible because it is blocked by pine trees, but it looks very full.

An finally, at Kobako (within Sounkyo Gorge) we see the Ginga waterfall on the left, and the Ryusei waterfall on the right.


CC0


To the extent possible under law,
the person who associated CC0
with this work has waived all copyright and related or neighboring
rights to this work.