2,000 year old cherry blossom tree - Jindaizakura. It's the oldest cherry blossom tree in Japan! Truly amazing!! It's a must see. 🌸🌸🌸
3 Great Cherry Blossom Trees of Japan There are three Great Cherry Blossom Trees in Japan. They are Miharu Takizakura (1,000 years old) in Fukushima, Usuzumizakura (1,500 years old) in Gifu and Jindaizakura (2,000 years old) in Yamanashi. The three great sakura trees have lived for many centuries and still counting. They are beautiful, magnificent and legendary. Jindaizakura One of the three great cherry blooms trees is Yamataka Jindaizakura located in Jissoji Temple. It's the oldest among the three and estimated 2,000 years old. The history of Jindaizakura goes all the way back to legendary Yamato Takeru known as Prince Otsu who served as Japan’s 12th Emperor. It is said that it was Yamato Takeru who planted the tree while traveling in the region during the first century. Uchūzakura In Jissoji Temple there is another interesting sakura called Uchūzakura, namely, Space Cherry Blossom Tree. In November 2008, NASA's space shuttle Endeavor took 118 seeds of Jindaizakura harvested by local school children to the International Space Station (ISS). The seeds returned to Earth after orbiting the planet for 8 months. Among those seeds planted, two of them germinated and one of the two was planted in the garden of Jissoji Temple, that is, Uchūzakura/Space Cherry Blossoms. Interestingly, some of Space Cherry Blossoms have 6 petals instead of 5. Furthermore, Buddhism has it that there are 6 realms into karmic rebirth...hell, hungry gods, animals, angry gods, humanity and heavenly gods. Perhaps, the 6th petal appearing in some of Space Cherry Blossoms represents the realm of heaven as in Buddhism since the seed orbited Earth in the heavenly sky. Jindaizakura Info: https://www.yamanashi-kankou.jp/foreign/english/topics/jindaizakurar1eng.html Jissoji Temple: https://www.jindaizakura.com My visit to 1,000 year old Miharu Takizakura in Fukushima: https://youtu.be/7YT-LRxBxjcHiking and climbing mountains inspired me into this life philosophy - LIFE IS A MOUNTAIN. Every step you make leads to summit. You may be forced to turn around or change routes for any cause, never know. But, stay focused and look forward. The mountain will be there always. Pace yourself and reach "your" summit, for every step counts. Enjoy the view and feed your soul as it comes along. Life is a journey, not a destination. Life is like climbing a mountain.....
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Sunday, April 4, 2021
Sunday, March 21, 2021
Slideshow - Beautiful Mountains and Landscapes
This is a slideshow presenting beautiful mountains and landscapes from some of the hikes I went on in California and Washington states.
Mt. Adatara Fall Foliage Hike - 安達太良山 紅葉ハイク
Spectacular display of fall foliage is on parade in Mt. Adatara, Fukushima, Japan. Gorgeous fall colors are breathtaking and can be seen endlessly all along the trail and through the mountains as you go. This is one of the most beautiful fall hikes I’ve gone for.🍁🍁🍁 Totally jaw dropping and eye popping! 😲🤩 The massive volcanic crater near the top is quite a sight and otherworldly.🌋
The hike offers spectacular vistas, colors and landscape. In addition, soaking in the hot springs right by trailhead wraps up the hike perfect!♨️👍
Trail is well maintained and hiking boots are recommended as the route gets partially rocky and muddy.
*I took 6km(3.7 miles) route to summit Mt. Adatara ascending from Okudake trailhead via Kurogane Hut. However, most people take 4km route to Mt. Adatara using ropeway from trailhead to Yakushidake and trek to summit.
Info about Mt. Adatara: https://www.city.nihonmatsu.lg.jp/page/page002703.html
Hiking Chausu-dake (Nasu-dake) - 茶臼岳(那須岳)
August 20, 2020
I went on a half day/sunset hike scaling Mt. Chausu (Chausu-dake/1,915m) which is an active volcano. It’s one of the five volcanic mountains forming Nasu Five Peaks (Nasu-go-take). Nasu-dake is located in the north of Nikkō National Park, Japan. It’s also listed as one of the best 100 mountains in Japan.
What a great hike! This is a good workout hike with spectacular views, dramatic landscapes, volcanic steam rising, and mystical energy surrounding. It’s really cool. Two thumps up!!👍👍
The trail is in good shape, well marked and relatively short (100 minutes to summit according to trail map). It gets rocky as you ascend, so hiking boots are recommended. Stay hydrated along the way if you hike Nasu-dake in summer as the trail is mostly exposed to the sun with no shade. ☀️😅 Happy hiking! 👍😎