2025-07-30

Gosensui-Shizen'en

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Breathing with the Forest: Bearded Lichen in Nagano’s Highlands
御泉水自然園に見つけた「清浄な森」の指標・ナガサルオガセ


This photo was taken along the edge of a small marsh in Gosensui Nature Garden (御泉水自然園), located on the slopes of Mt. Tateshina in Nagano Prefecture, Japan.

The lichen seen here is Usnea longissima (ナガサルオガセ), also  known as bearded lichen, Methuselah’s beard, or old man’s beard. This pendant lichen hangs in soft, trailing strands from tree branches, giving the forest a mysterious, almost otherworldly appearance.

What first caught my eye was the way the sunlight illuminated the wisps of yellow-green lichen as they swayed gently in the breeze, standing out in contrast against the dark conifers in the background.

In researching more about this species, I learned that bearded lichen is considered a natural barometer of air quality as it  thrives only in forests with clean, unpolluted air. Toxic chemicals quickly overwhelm its delicate metabolic functions, making it a sensitive indicator species for clean forest environments.

At first, I assumed the lichen was harmful to the trees, much like parasitic vines that can choke off sunlight and weaken their hosts. In reality, the opposite is true. Bearded lichen does not damage the trees it grows on. Instead, its presence is often linked to older or weakened trees, where gaps in the canopy allow more sunlight to reach the branches. This extra light creates the right conditions for the lichen to grow.

I also learned that bearded lichen reproduces by fragmentation: small pieces break off, carried by the wind, and establish new colonies when they land on a suitable host. 

I don’t often come across bearded lichen during my alpine adventures. In fact, the last time I saw it in the wild was in September 2021, on the slopes of Mt. Nyukasa, which is about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Gosensui Nature Garden.

Next time I encounter this graceful lichen, I’ll pause to appreciate its beauty and take a few extra deep breaths of the fresh, clean alpine air. 

  • Location: Gosensui-Shizen'en, Nagano, Japan
  • Timestamp: 2025-07-30・12:59
  • Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
  • 58 mm ISO 100 for 1/250 sec. at ƒ/4.5

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Exploring the Mossy Wetlands of Gosensui Nature Garden
御泉水自然園の苔むす湿原と夏の涼しさを求めて


Reaching Gosensui Nature Garden from Yokohama took just three hours by car via the Chuo Expressway, made possible with an early pre-dawn start.

Established by Nagano Prefecture in 1973, the garden was designed to give visitors easy access to a serene forest environment. Raised boardwalks wind through the area, making it accessible for families with strollers, elderly visitors, and those using wheelchairs.

One section of the garden features wetlands fed by a natural spring, where the forest floor is carpeted with wildflowers, moss-covered stones, boulders, and fallen logs. The cool, damp air and vibrant greenery create a refreshing atmosphere, even in the peak of summer heat.

Photographing the moss at ground level can be a bit challenging from the elevated boardwalk. Luckily, on this weekday afternoon, my border collie and I had the garden entirely to ourselves, giving me the freedom to take up space and carefully compose my shots. 

The second image of the large moss-covered boulder, which was illuminated by shafts of sunlight, was easier to frame, though balancing the extreme contrasts between bright highlights and deep shadows required patience and careful exposure for smoother post-processing.

  • Location: Gosensui-Shizen'en, Nagano, Japan
  • Timestamp: 2025-07-30・13:10 & 13:22
  • Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
  • ① 63 mm ISO 200 for 1/125 sec. at ƒ/10
  • ② 80 mm ISO 400 for 1/160 sec. at ƒ/5.6


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Patterns in Light: Butterfly in the Highlands of Japan

日本の高原に咲く花と彩り豊かな蝶


Gosensui Nature Garden, located on the slopes of Mt. Tateshina at an elevation of 1,830 meters (6,004 feet) in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, offers a serene escape into Nagano Prefecture’s highlands.

Upon entering the garden and paying the modest entrance fee, I was immediately welcomed by the fragrance of blooming wildflowers. Dozens of Ceylon Blue Glassy Tiger butterflies, with their striking brown, white, and blue patterned wings, fluttered gracefully from blossom to blossom, feeding in the summer light.

  • Location: Gosensui-Shizen'en, Nagano, Japan
  • Timestamp: 2025-07-30・12:59
  • Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
  • 105 mm ISO 200 for 1/400 sec. at ƒ/5.6

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Japanese Shorthorn

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The Rare Shorthorns of Nagano’s Highlands
日本の肉牛のわずか１％・長野県の高原で育つ日本短角牛


Driving along Nagano Prefectural Route 40, I pulled into a small parking lot beside the vast Tateshina Cattle Ranch. The lot mainly serves visitors to Gyunyu Senka Moumou, a local dairy products shop.

Inside, the store offers soft-serve ice cream, ice cream floats, fresh cold milk, and pastries rich with butter and cheese made from the milk of nearby dairy farms. Benches outside invite visitors to enjoy their treats while watching cattle graze across the highland pastures.

At first glance, one might assume these are dairy cows, but the ranch actually keeps its Holstein, Jersey, and Swiss Brown dairy herds at another site. The cattle visible here are beef breeds, including the rare Japanese Shorthorn.

These reddish-brown cows roam the grassy plateau extending from Mt. Tateshina, with the city of Saku faintly visible about 20 km (12 mi) to the northeast through the summer haze. 

The Shorthorn is an uncommon native breed, accounting for less than one percent of Japan’s beef cattle. Unlike the famously marbled Japanese Black, Shorthorns produce leaner, red meat thanks to their mountain-grass diet rather than corn or alfalfa feed. Hardy and cold-resistant, they thrive in open pastures during spring and summer and spend winters sheltered in barns.

However, since Japan liberalized beef imports in 1991, raising Shorthorns has sharply declined, as domestic farmers struggle to compete with cheap, industrial-scale beef feedlots from abroad.

For me, though, this place is not about the economics of cattle raising or the prestige of fine meats. I’m not a connoisseur, nor do I often dine out. What matters to me is the simple beauty of the scene: a cow grazing quietly on a lush mountain pasture, cool breezes carrying the scent of summer grass, and the wide open views of Nagano’s highlands. That, in itself, is a feast.
  • Location: Tateshina, Nagano, Japan
  • Timestamp: 2025-07-30 11:14~11:22
  • Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
  • ① 105 mm ISO 400 for 1/250 sec. at ƒ/11
  • ②  68 mm ISO 200 for 1/200 sec. at ƒ/8
  • ③ 105 mm ISO 200 for 1/250 sec. at ƒ/6.3
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Kirigamine Fujimidai

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Panoramic Views from Kirigamine Fujimidai Observatory Point
霧ヶ峰 富士見台 展望台から望む大パノラマ


Located at an elevation of 1,717 meters (5,633 ft), the Kirigamine Fujimidai roadside observatory offers sweeping views of the Kirigamine Plateau to the southwest. Just behind me stood the peak of Kirigamine itself, rising modestly to 1,924 meters (6,312 ft).

Although not a particularly tall mountain, the name of Kirigamine literally translates to “fog” (霧) “peak/ridge” (峰), which is likely due to the frequent fog that blankets the plateau. When the fog lifts, however, the scenery transforms into something almost dreamlike, with rolling grasslands, dwarf bamboo, and in mid-summer, vast fields of blooming day lilies. The area is also celebrated as the birthplace of hang gliding in Japan, adding to its growing attraction among youthful visitors.

This plateau is regarded as one of the most beautiful vantage points along the scenic Venus Line, a winding mountain road that links together a series of highland landscapes (see my previous posts).

When I visited in late July, I had just missed the peak season of the day lilies, which normally cover the grasslands in a carpet of vivid yellow. I’ll have to plan more carefully next time, as the timing of blossoms, rainy seasons, and even the length of summer itself has shifted dramatically compared to my earlier visits in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.

Location: Kirigamine Fujimidai Tenbō-Dai, Nagano, Japan
Timestamp: 2025-07-30・10:33
Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
58 mm ISO 100 for 1/125 sec. at ƒ/11


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Location: Kirigamine Fujimidai Tenbō-Dai, Nagano, Japan
Timestamp: 2025-07-30・10:34
Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
28 mm ISO 100 for 1/125 sec. at ƒ/11

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Sunlit Woodland in Tateshina・立科の木漏れ日の森


Sunlit forest floor with lush summer greenery, featuring coniferous and deciduous trees in roadside woodland of Tateshina, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.

  • Location: Tateshina, Nagano, Japan
  • Timestamp: 2025-07-30・11:00
  • Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
  • 58 mm ISO 400 for 1/250 sec. at ƒ/11

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Mt. Mitsumine

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Chasing Light on the Slopes of Mt. Mitsumine・丘に溶け込む一本の木・三峰山での風景


Located at an elevation of 1,773 meters (5,816 ft), the slopes of Mt. Mitsumine (三峰山; Mitsumine-yama) rise as one of the taller peaks on the plateau of the Kirigamine Highlands (霧ヶ峰高原; Kirigamine-kōgen), about 210 km (130 mi) northwest of Tokyo. From Yokohama, it took me only three hours by expressway, thanks to leaving home at around 4:00 a.m., thus avoiding the morning rush hour.

Mt. Mitsumine is an extinct volcano formed during the Late Pliocene to early Pleistocene, roughly 1.5 to 0.75 million years ago. Unlike Mt. Fuji, it is not especially tall, which allows for the growth of lush vegetation. Still, tall trees struggle here, as the volcanic soil of these highlands makes it difficult for them to thrive.

This particular shot was a challenge. With the late-morning sun directly overhead, it was almost impossible to create separation between the small tree in the mid-ground and the rolling hills beyond. 

I couldn’t help but wonder: had I arrived at golden hour, would the low morning light from the right have cast shadows across the left side of the tree, adding the depth and contrast I was looking for? 

One day, I’d like to come back when the light shifts or the seasons turn to see if I can make this tree stand out from its camouflage in the hills.

  • Location: Mt. Mitsumine, Nagano, Japan
  • Timestamp: 2025-07-30・08:14
  • Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
  • 58 mm ISO 100 for 1/250 sec. at ƒ/5.6

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Dale-chan’s Break Among Bamboo Leaves

デールちゃん、涼しい高原でひと休み


Dale-chan, my loyal border collie, turned 12 this year. These days, even though she needs a little more time when we take on mountain trails, her spirit is as strong as ever.

The hike to the peak of Mt. Mitsumine was fortunately a gentle slope, and the cool summer air made it easier for her to stride ahead and show me the way.

Every so often she pauses to rest, and I’m always grateful for those quiet breaks together on the trail.

  • Location: Mt. Mitsumine, Nagano, Japan
  • Timestamp: 2025-07-30・08:16
  • Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
  • 95 mm ISO 100 for 1/250 sec. at ƒ/5.6
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From Mt. Mitsumine to the Utsukushigahara Highlands

三峰山から広がる、美しが原高原の眺め


From the peak of Mt. Mitsumine (三峰山; Mitsumine-yama), looking north, you can spot the highest point of the Utsukushigahara Highlands (美しが丘高原; Utsukushigahara-Kogen). At 2,034 meters (6,673 ft), its summit is crowned with numerous antennas that serve as relay towers for digital TV broadcasting, radio stations, and cellular networks across the region.

I previously visited the Utsukushigahara Highlands in August 2022, where I shared both photos and video from that trip. Standing here on Mt. Mitsumine and seeing those familiar peaks from a new perspective is a reminder of how interconnected these mountains are and how each visit reveals something different, depending on where you’re standing.

  • Location: Mt. Mitsumine, Nagano, Japan
  • Timestamp: 2025-07-30・08:17
  • Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
  • 105 mm ISO 100 for 1/250 sec. at ƒ/5.6
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Where Green Slopes Meet White Birch・三峰山の緑の斜面と白樺との出会い


Climbing down from the peak of Mt. Mitsumine, my eye caught a small grove of Japanese white birch (Betula platyphylla) clustered in a gully along the slope. Their pale trunks slightly stood out against the vivid green hillside, and I imagined how striking this view must become in autumn, when golden leaves contrast even more sharply with the surrounding greenery.

Japanese white birch (白樺; shirakaba) thrive across the Kirigamine Highlands of Nagano, flourishing at elevations around 1,500 meters. For some older Japanese, these trees evoke memories of highland recreation. After World War II, as outdoor leisure gained popularity, birch-lined resorts became symbols of sophistication and escape for urban dwellers. Nowadays, some birch forests promote themselves as ideal date spots, or a forest bathing destination.

Today, the highlands remain just as inviting, though far more accessible. Well-maintained roads, free parking, and modern attractions including museums, cafés, restaurants, hotels, and ski slopes make it easy for anyone to experience both the natural beauty of these highland landscapes.

  • Location: Mt. Mitsumine, Nagano, Japan
  • Timestamp: 2025-07-30・08:25
  • Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
  • 68 mm ISO 200 for 1/400 sec. at ƒ/4.5

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Layers of Green: Mt. Mitsumine and Highlands of Nagano
長野県三峰山と霧ヶ峰高原の変わりゆく風景


In the foreground, the slopes of Mt. Mitsumine are blanketed with dwarf bamboo (Sasa kurilensis). Native to Japan, these hardy plants thrive in the cool-temperate forests of alpine elevations, particularly where winter fronts sweep in from the Sea of Japan, which is only about 98 km (61 miles) away due northwest.

However, in the context of the Kirigamine Highlands, which includes Mt. Mitsumine, dwarf bamboo tells a different story. After World War II, when grazing pastures for dairy cattle were abandoned, bamboo spread unchecked across the highlands, crowding out native grasses and wildflowers. Today, volunteers regularly cut back the bamboo to slow its expansion and encourage the recovery of native species.

In the background, the densely wooded slopes are dominated by sugi (Japanese cedar). Once prized as a key building material during Japan’s postwar reconstruction, sugi plantations now pose a different challenge. With cheaper lumber imported from overseas, many cedar forests are no longer economically viable. Left unmanaged, these monocultures limit biodiversity and make it harder for native plants, trees, birds, and wildlife to thrive in what would otherwise be a richly varied ecosystem.

Yet despite these environmental struggles, I still find this landscape deeply beautiful. The vivid greens of summer, the rolling contours of the slopes, and the stillness of the highlands offer me a kind of spiritual and physical relief from the relentless pace of urban life in Yokohama.

  • Location: Mt. Mitsumine, Nagano, Japan
  • Timestamp: 2025-07-30・08:30
  • Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
  • 68 mm ISO 200 for 1/400 sec. at ƒ/4.5

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Kirigamine Highlands

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Summer Escape to the Kirigamine Highlands・夏の霧ヶ峰高原で涼を求めて


Located at an elevation of 1,550 meters (5,085 ft), the Odoriba Marsh (踊場湿原), which is known locally as Ike-no-Kurumi (池のくるみ), is one of three large marshes on the plateau of the Kirigamine Highlands, about 210 km (130 mi) northwest of Tokyo. From Yokohama, it took just three hours by expressway, thanks to a 4:00 a.m. departure that avoided the worst of the traffic.

The Odoriba Marsh consists of a bog with a peat deposit more than 2.5 meters (8 ft) deep, built up over the course of some 3,000 years. Because of this fragile landscape, it is essential that visitors stay on marked trails. Venturing off-trail can not only damage the ecosystem but also put hikers in potentially dangerous situations.

The marshes of Kirigamine are home to rare sub-alpine plants, including hygrophytes and three species of protected flowers. Until the 1950s, the surrounding grasslands were used for hay fields, leaving the habitat vulnerable to chemical fertilizers and mechanized farming. Fortunately, the highlands were designated as a quasi-national park in 1964, and the three marshes were later recognized as natural monuments.

Today, the plateau is a popular tourist destination with accessible hiking trails and sweeping views. On a clear day, visitors can see not only the rolling grasslands and moors but also Mt. Fuji and the surrounding Japanese Alps.

Since 2008, conservation concerns have grown due to woodland expansion and deer feeding on rare flowers. In response, the local community has stepped up efforts to protect the marshes. Fences now line certain trails to prevent accidental trampling of fragile plants, and deer tracking with transmitters helps determine where tall, discreetly placed fences can be installed to protect the ecosystem from deer and preserve natural views for visitors.

For me and my border collie, though, the appeal of the Kirigamine Highland was much simpler: escaping the sweltering heat and humidity of Yokohama. After weeks of slogging through sticky commutes, the cool breezes and lower humidity of the highlands felt like a refreshing breath of summer freedom!
  • Location: Kirigamine Highland, Nagano, Japan
  • Timestamp: 2025-07-30・07:04
  • Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
  • 45 mm ISO 100 for 1/400 sec. at ƒ/9
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  • Location: Kirigamine Highland, Nagano, Japan
  • Timestamp: 2025-07-30・07:03
  • Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
  • 53 mm ISO 100 for 1/250 sec. at ƒ/5
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2025-07-16

Takanawa Gateway Station Part 2

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Timestamp: 2025/07/16・17:34
Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
ISO 1000 for 1/250 sec. at ƒ/2
Velvia/Vivid film simulation

100 Colors at Takanawa Gateway
エマニュエル・ムホーが描く「１００色の道」


Just outside Takanawa Gateway Station in Tokyo’s Minato Ward, French-born, Tokyo-based artist and architect Emmanuelle Moureaux’s ｢100 Colors No. 53｣ bursts into view the moment you step out of the South Exit.

This installation features vertical slats painted in 100 distinct hues, each engraved with a year from 2025 to 2125 covering 100 years of 100 hues of the rainbow.

Moureaux’s choice of layered slats echoes a point she made in a Japan Times interview earlier this year, where she explained how Tokyo’s urban landscape inspires her work:

“Moureaux uses the term ‘layers’ to describe the way Tokyo is built, where various different elements are layered one on top of the other in any given space. She says she draws inspiration from this abundance of colors and layers.”
--Ran Kawai, Japan Times, January 31, 2025

Before visiting Takanawa Gateway Station and exploring the emerging Takanawa Gateway City development, I knew nothing about this artwork nor the artist herself. So it was a pleasant surprise to come upon this installment, and learning about Moureaux.

I often travel to cities from Aichi Prefecture to Nagano Prefecture, but almost always for work, either accompanying a client or photographing a property for real estate listings. 

This time was different, as I left the pro gear, suit, and tie at home and set out with no agenda other than to explore. Wandering familiar streets with a fresh perspective is always rewarding.

Inevitably, I stumble upon something new: a tiny Shinto shrine, a Buddhist temple tucked between two high-rise condos, a new public artwork, or perhaps a cozy coffee shop run by a couple in their 80s.


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Timestamp: 2025/07/16・17:45
Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
ISO 250 for 1/250 sec. at ƒ/2
Velvia/Vivid film simulation

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Timestamp: 2025/07/16・17:47
Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
ISO 3200 for 1/40 sec. at ƒ/8
Velvia/Vivid film simulation

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Timestamp: 2025/07/16・17:47
Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
ISO 3200 for 1/60 sec. at ƒ/8
Velvia/Vivid film simulation

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Timestamp: 2025/07/16・18:38
Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
ISO 250 for 1/250 sec. at ƒ/2
Velvia/Vivid film simulation

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Takanawa Gateway Station - Part 1

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  • “100 Colors No. 53” art installation just outside the South Exit of Takanawa Gateway Station in Tokyo, Japan
    • Timestamp: 2025/07/16・17:33
    • Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
    • ISO 3200 for 1/210 sec. at ƒ/9
    • Velvia/Vivid film simulation

A Century in 100 Colors: Emmanuelle Moureaux’s Takanawa Gateway Installation
エマニュエル・ムホーによる高輪ゲートウェイのアート作品「100色の道」で描く100年の時の流れ


The French artist and architect Emmanuelle Moureaux created this vibrant rainbow installation, 100 Colors No. 53, just outside the North Exit of Takanawa Gateway Station on Tokyo’s Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku Lines, which is just one stop north of Shinagawa Station.

Moureaux, who has lived in Tokyo since 1996, based the 100 Colors Series on a concept called shikiri (色切), which means "dividing and creating space through colors." This piece, displayed in Gateway Park, is the 53rd work in the series. Previous installations have appeared in locations worldwide, including São Paulo (Brazil, 2021), Downtown Dubai (UAE, 2018), Brussels (Belgium, 2017), and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh (US, 2015), as well as sites across Japan.

True to its name, each piece in the series incorporates 100  colors. For No. 53, each vertical slat is engraved with a year from 2025 to 2125, symbolizing “the passage of time in 100 colors.”

This area was once home to the Tamachi Depot. Old satellite images from November 2014 show the depot in its final days before the massive Takanawa Gateway City redevelopment began. The project is transforming the rail yard into a modern urban district with a new train station, four high-rise towers, office and retail space, luxury residences, schools, and entertainment facilities.

When I visited, my plan was simply to check out the new station, explore the high-rises, and maybe capture a few street shots. I hadn’t expected to find this striking artwork at the base of two gleaming steel-and-glass towers, so stumbling upon it was a welcome surprise.

There’s something refreshing about visiting Tokyo as a tourist with my small, lightweight camera, rather than as a my normal salaryman carrying a briefcase and wearing a necktie. It changes the pace, the perspective, and the way I see the city.

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  • Lone salaryman passing by the “100 Colors No. 53” art installation at Takanawa Gateway Station in Tokyo, Japan
    • Timestamp: 2025/07/16・17:54
    • Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
    • ISO 160 for 1/150 sec. at ƒ/2.8
    • Velvia/Vivid film simulation

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  • Local office worker enjoying the splash pad at Takanawa Gateway Station in Tokyo, Japan
    • Timestamp: 2025/07/16・18:37
    • Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
    • ISO 400 for 1/250 sec. at ƒ/2
    • Velvia/Vivid film simulation

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  • Student walking past the splash pad at Takanawa Gateway Station in Tokyo, Japan
    • Timestamp: 2025/07/16・18:38
    • Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
    • ISO 320 for 1/250 sec. at ƒ/2
    • Velvia/Vivid film simulation

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