Akyu Ruins Site is located in the village of Hara, not far from the Idojiri Ruins Site, in Nagano Prefecture. It has been thought that the site was the spiritual center for the prayers in the Early Jomon Period (5000~3500 BCE). The artifacts excavated from the site have been stored and some have been exhibited at the Yatsugatake Museum of Art (https://yatsubi.com/en/).
Several varieties of water lily (Nymphaea odorata) and lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) plants have been blooming in the Idojiri Jomon Ruins Site in the town of Fujimi in Nagano Prefecture. The artifacts excavated from the site have been stored and exhibited in the Idojiri Archaeological Museum (https://jomon.co/en/point/detail/63/; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idojiri_ruins). Also, refer to the article on 2022/02/13.
Restored Pit Dwelling, Idojiri Jomon Ruins, Fujimi-town, Nagano, 07/06/2022Water Lilies, Idojiri Jomon Ruins, Fujimi-town, Nagano, 07/06/2022Water Droplets On the Lotus Leaves, Idojiri Jomon Ruins, Fujimi-town Nagano, 07/06/2022Lotuses, Idojiri Jomon Ruins, Fujimi-town, Nagano, 07/06/2022Lotus Flowers And A Dragonfly On The Stem, Idojiri Jomon Ruins, Fujimi-town, Nagano, 07/06/2022Imaginary Structures Inside The Restored Pit Dwelling, Idojiri Archaeological Museum, Idojiri Jomon Ruins, Fujimi-town, Nagano, 07/06/2022
Replicas of a sample grain brought from asteroid Ryugu have been displayed at 196 locations around Japan since June 12. The replicas were made by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Here in Yamanashi, there are two locations which have been displaying the replicas. I visited one of the two, Yamanashi Prefectural Science Center.
Following the 9th “Jazz At The Mountain Temple In Mukawa,” another Mountain Temple jazz concert was held featuring Sakai Benisuke and CONTRASTE at Koryuji (Koryu Temple) in the town of Mukawa, the city of Hokuto, in Yamanashi Prefecture on July 2. The players were Benisuke Sakai (base), Momoko Aida (violin), Nobumasa Tanaka (piano), and Yoichi Okabe (drums). The Koryu Temple belongs to the Soto Sect of Zen Buddhism. Also, please refer to the articles on 2017-05-19 and 2022-05-25. After the concert, several people enjoyed the entertainment by the fireflies nearby the stream and the bushes. There were enough numbers of fireflies, but it was very difficult to take pictures.
(Sakai Benisuke and CONTRASTE)
After the session, Sorry for no players, Koryu Temple, Mukawa-town, Hokuto-city, Yamanashi, 7/02/2022Fireflies, Koryu Temple, Mukawa-town, Hokuto-city, Yamanashi, 7/02/2022
In and around the Togariishi Jomon Ruins Site, more than 200 pit dwellings were excavated. Most of them were estimated to be built in the Middle Jomon period (3500-2500 BCE) over a period of 1000 years. The Togariishi Museum of Jomon Archaeology is a municipal museum located in the city of Chino in Nagano Prefecture, specializing in artifacts of the Jomon period (between 14,000 and 1000 BCE). Its collection includes over two thousand artifacts containing two National Treasures the Venus of Jomon and the Masked Goddess. (https://www.city.chino.lg.jp/site/togariishi/; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Togariishi_Museum_of_J%C5%8Dmon_Archaeology)
Chino City’s advertising poster on the National Treasures “Dogu (Clay Figurines)” Masked Goddess and Venus of Jomon
The Masked Goddess(height 34.0cm, weight 2.7kg), First half of the Late Jomon period (2000 BC) and The Venus of Jomon (height 27.0cm), the Middle Jomon period (3000 BC) Togariishi Museum of Jomon Archaeology, Chino-city, Nagano, 6/22/2022Potteries excavated from the Togariishi Site, Latter half of the Middle Jomon period (2500 BCE), Togariishi Museum of Jomon Archaeology, Chino-city, Nagano, 6/22/2022Potteries with abstract patterns; possibly creatures both the existent ones and the imaginary ones, Togariishi Museum of Jomon Archaeology, Chino-city, Nagano, 6/22/2022The Pottery of the Birth, mother on the top and baby just born on the side from the Tsugane-Goshomae Site and Potteries with abstract patterns, Togariishi Museum of Jomon Archaeology, Chino-city, Nagano, 6/22/2022 Potteries for special purposes, Togariishi Museum of Jomon Archaeology, Chino-city, Nagano, 6/22/2022 Fragments of potteries with the imprints of millet (Setaria italica or Panicum miliaceum) seeds and Fine Potteries from the Middle of the Late Jomon period (1200 BCE), Togariishi Museum of Jomon Archaeology, Chino-city, Nagano, 6/22/2022 Stones with a lot of depressions possibly created by the friction heat with wood making for fire, the Middle Jomon period (3000-2000 BCE, 5000~4000 years ago) and Jade Pendants, Togariishi Museum of Jomon Archaeology, Chino-city, Nagano, 6/22/2022Large Stones possibly brought into the villages by the Jomon people, Togariishi Museum of Jomon Archaeology, Chino-city, Nagano, 6/22/2022
Yosuke One (ridge) Jomon Ruins Site: Located next to the Togariishi Site, there were 40 pit dwellings excavated from the latter half of the Middle Jomon period in the Yosuke Ridge Site.
Lance-leaved tickseed (Coreopsis lanceolata) is one of the obnoxious weed species. It is native to North America and considered an invasive alien species in Japan (Refer to the article on 5/18/2022). It seems that it reproduces twice more in Japan than in the native areas. Lance-leaved tickseed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coreopsis_lanceolata
Yoriko Hatase et al. reported some of their studies. “The Control Effect of Season and Time of Mowing On Coreopsis Lanceolata An Invasive Alien Species” (2010), Journal of The Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture, 73(5), pp. 421-426. “Restoration Effect of Topsoil Removal on the Herbaceous Community Invaded byCoreopsis lanceolata in the Vegetation of Dry Gravel Riverbeds” (2012), Journal of The Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture, 75(5), pp. 445-450. [Japan Wildlife Research Center, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management]
Similarly, kudzu or kuzu (Pueraria montana), native to Japan and southeast China, is considered an invasive alien species in the United States. It is a terrifying species in the southeastern United States. Kudzu (Pueraria montana): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pueraria_montana
Kudzu (Pueraria montana in the botanical family Fabaceae) in the United States is like the one-seeded bur cucumber or star-cucumber (Sicyos angulatus in the botanical family Cucurbitaceae, native to eastern North America) in Japan. Although they belong to the different families, both are vine plants and have similar characteristics. And they are notoriously invasive weeds in the two countries.
The retrospective exhibition of French sculptor François Pompon has been held at the Yamanashi Prefecture Museum of Art, 4/16-6/12/2022. It has been touring the country since July 2021. François Pompon has been known for his animal sculptures, and his most renowned work is Ours blanc also known as White Bear or Polar Bear in Stride.
Exhibition Poster, Yamanashi Prefecture Museum of Art, Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 6/01/2022
Small Polar Bear Replica, Yamanashi Prefecture Museum of Art, Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 6/01/2022Large Polar Bear Replica, Yamanashi Prefecture Museum of Art, Kofu, Yamanashi, 6/01/2022
From the sculpture garden,
THE BIG APPLE No.45 by Masaaki Sato
Yamanashi Prefecture Museum of Art, Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 6/01/2022
The 9th “Jazz At The Mountain Temple In Mukawa” was held featuring Kimiko Ito with Mayuko Katakura piano quartet at Kaikoma Center Seseragi in the city of Hokuto in Yamanashi Prefecture on May 22. This year the site was a town hall instead of the regular place, Koryuji (Koryu Temple). I attended the 4th event and it was fabulous (Refer to the blog note on 5/19/2017). The opening part was presented by a band from the Waseda University New Orleans Jazz Club. The second part was presented by a piano quartet, Mayuko Katakura (piano), Takumi Awaya (bass) and Gene Jackson (drums) with Kazuhiko Kondo (alto and soprano saxophone). In the third part, a singer Kimiko Ito joined the quartet.
Waseda University New Orleans Jazz Club, Kaikoma Center Seseragi, Hokuto-city, Yamanashi, 5/22/2022Mayuko Katakura (piano), Takumi Awaya (bass) and Gene Jackson (drums) with Kazuhiko Kondo (alto and soprano saxophone), Kaikoma Center Seseragi, Hokuto-city, Yamanashi, 5/22/2022Kimiko Ito (vocal) and the Piano Quartet, Kaikoma Center Seseragi, Hokuto-city, Yamanashi, 5/22/2022
After a cold, rainy day, it was a hot, summery day. Plants and animals have been very active on the riverbanks of the Arakawa River in the city of Kofu in Yamanashi Prefecture.
Oriental turtle dove (Streptopelia orientalis), Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 5/14/2022Bee (Apis) and small white or cabbage butterfly (Pieris rapae), Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 5/14/2022Smooth vetch (Vicia villosa), Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 5/15/2022Red clover (Trifolium pratense), Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 5/15/2022Lance-leaved tickseed (Coreopsis lanceolata), Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 5/15/2022
Lance-leaved tickseed is a designated special alien organism by the Invasive Alien Species Act as a plant that may have a significant impact on the Japanese ecosystem, and cultivation, transportation and sales are prohibited; yet, it has been spreading all over Japan.
