Hearing a rumor that the autumn foliage in Okutama was at its best, I wandered over there one weekend in mid-November. The destination was Mitake Valley in the upper reaches of the Tama River, which runs parallel to the JR Ome Line. There is a promenade that goes down to the valley and allows visitors to walk along the riverbank around Ikusabata Station, Sawai Station, and Mitake Station.
This photo was taken in a rather nice “valley dyed in red” style, but as it turns out, the foliage was still about 60-70% red. However, even without the autumn leaves, a walk in the canyon in the middle of autumn was really refreshing, and a great way to refresh oneself in these difficult times.
Now, back to the unmanned JR Ikusabata Station.
The quiet, unmanned station was packed with hikers, as it was a perfect day for a hike.
Near the station is a large thatched-roof house that catches the eye. It is hard to believe that this is Tokyo.
View from the bridge over the Tama River. The riverbank is an exquisite patchwork of green, yellow, and red as the trees begin to change color. The beauty of Japanese nature.
All the photos in this article were taken with the K-3III and the DA*16-50mm handheld. Although the lens is a bit large and heavy, I felt that if I brought it with me and prepared to give priority to image quality from the start, I would be able to carry it with me on my travels. In fact, the images are excellent.
Walking along the river for about 500 meters in the upstream direction, you will find the entrance to a walking trail that descends down the canyon to the riverbank.
This is where the “Mitake Valley” begins; the name of the railway station is same sound “Mitake Station” but it has different notation in Japanese language, and the name of the nearby “Mitake Mountain” has the same notation with Valley. It’s easy to make mistakes if you are not very careful.
A nice view that makes you want to take a deep breath.
We continue along the riverbank where rocks are strewn all over the place. While some of the broadleaf trees on both sides of the river are in full color, the coniferous forests in the surrounding mountains are deep green color. It’s so beautiful contrast.
The sun was shining as it should, so I took this photo of the autumn leaves with transmitted light.
The view of the boardwalk through the giant rocks is completely in autumn color.
A short distance ahead, Sawai Station approaches. There is a rest house and cafe run by the Ozawa Sake Brewery, famous for its local sake Sawanoi(where you can of course enjoy sake). And it was quite crowded that day, but it was still a little early for lunch, so I passed through that day.
I crossed over to the other side of the river via Kaede bridge to continue the second half of my canyon walk, which I will continue next time.
Equipment used: K-3III, HD DA*16-50
