Leaf Hunting in Japan

[thomas]

Interesting satellite imagery from NASA shows the autumn foliage around Mount Aso in Kyushu .

On November 29, 2021, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 acquired this natural-color image of north-central Kyushu, the most southerly of Japan's four largest islands. Colorful vegetation is visible across the mountainsides and lowlands in Aso-Kuju National Park. It is not possible to know the exact sources of the color based on this satellite image alone, but it is likely a combination of evergreens, deciduous trees, grasses, shrubs, and agricultural fields. Deciduous trees turn various shades of yellow, orange, and red; the region's grasses are known to turn a brilliant gold. This autumn, visitors were asked to keep away from Mount Aso - the largest active volcano in Japan - after an eruption on October 20, 2021, sent a plume of ash 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) high. As of November 18, the Japan Meteorological Agency was still asking people to stay at least 1 kilometer from the mountain.

Leaf Hunting in Japan - NASA Science

Momijiari can last into early December in the country’s southern regions.

earthobservatory.nasa.gov

 

[Grandpa Frank]

I stayed there for a weekend. The inn was new and very classy. There was a forest of trees there all laid out in rows which looked like a tree farm , not a natural forest. I remember an old mama-san boiling eggs in the hot spring waters and the strong odor of sulfur. I heard the whole area was destroyed latter by an eruption.