Minami-Alps Biosphere Reserve
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Minami-Alps Biosphere Reserve
The Minami-Alps Biosphere Reserve is one of Japan's few high-rainfall areas, with a maximum elevation above sea level of 3,193m (lowest 180m). Most of the site is made up of forest, with an area characterized by alpine plant communities (flower fields) and dense forest vegetation. The reserve is home to many local festivals, with discoveries of relics from the Jōmon Period, and folk arts traditions. Historically, inhabitants lived in regions with close connections to the mountains and thus engaged in hunting, fishing, gathering vegetables, and agriculture. Ecological characteristics The Minami-Alps Biosphere Reserve is flanked on two sides by rivers and lies within the Palearctic realm which includes the Eurasian continent and the African continent north of the Sahara Desert. The main habitats in the area consist of the alpine vegetation region (with numerous endemic species like ''Callianthemum hondoense''), the subalpine coniferous forest region, the deciduous broad-leaved forest ...
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Jōmon Period
The is the time in Japanese history, traditionally dated between   6,000–300 BCE, during which Japan was inhabited by a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united through a common Jōmon culture, which reached a considerable degree of sedentism and cultural complexity. The name "cord-marked" was first applied by the American zoologist and orientalist Edward S. Morse, who discovered sherds of pottery in 1877 and subsequently translated it into Japanese as ''Jōmon''.Mason, 14 The pottery style characteristic of the first phases of Jōmon culture was decorated by impressing cords into the surface of wet clay and is generally accepted to be among the oldest in the world. The Jōmon period was rich in tools and jewelry made from bone, stone, shell and antler; pottery figurines and vessels; and lacquerware.Imamura, K. (1996) ''Prehistoric Japan: New Perspectives on Insular East Asia''. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press It is often compared to pre-C ...
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Palearctic Realm
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Siberian region; the Mediterranean Basin; the Sahara and Arabian Deserts; and Western, Central and East Asia. The Palaearctic realm also has numerous rivers and lakes, forming several freshwater ecoregions. The term 'Palearctic' was first used in the 19th century, and is still in use as the basis for zoogeographic classification. History In an 1858 paper for the ''Proceedings of the Linnean Society'', British zoologist Philip Sclater first identified six terrestrial zoogeographic realms of the world: Palaearctic, Aethiopian/Afrotropic, Indian/Indomalayan, Australasian, Nearctic, and Neotropical. The six indicated general groupings of fauna, based on shared biogeography and large-scale geographic barriers to migration. Alfred Wallace ad ...
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Larch
Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus ''Larix'', of the family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae). Growing from tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south. Larches are among the dominant plants in the boreal forests of Siberia and Canada. Although they are conifers, larches are deciduous trees that lose their needles in the autumn. Etymology The English name Larch ultimately derives from the Latin "larigna," named after the ancient settlement of Larignum. The story of its naming was preserved by Vitruvius: It is worth while to know how this wood was discovered. The divine Caesar, being with his army in the neighbourhood of the Alps, and having ordered the towns to furnish supplies, the inhabitants of a fortified stronghold there, called Larignum, trusting in the natural strength of their defences, refused to obey his command. So the general ordered his forces to the assault. In ...
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Japanese Cedar
''Cryptomeria'' (literally "hidden parts") is a Monotypic taxon, monotypic genus of Pinophyta, conifer in the cypress family (biology), family Cupressaceae, formerly belonging to the family Taxodiaceae. It includes only one species, ''Cryptomeria japonica'' (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Cupressus japonica'' Carl Linnaeus the Younger, L.f.). It used to be considered by some to be Endemism, endemic to Japan (see remark below under 'Endemism'), where it is known as . The tree is called Japanese Cedar (plant), cedar or Japanese redwood in English. It has been extensively introduced and cultivated for wood production on the Azores. Description ''Cryptomeria'' is a very large evergreen tree, reaching up to tall and trunk diameter, with red-brown bark which peels in vertical strips. The leaf, leaves are arranged spirally, needle-like, long; and the seed cones globular, diameter with about 20–40 scales. It is superficially similar to the related Sequoiadendron giganteum, giant s ...
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Japanese Cypress
''Chamaecyparis obtusa'' (Japanese cypress, hinoki cypress or hinoki; ja, 檜 or , ) is a species of cypress native to central Japan in East Asia, and widely cultivated in the temperate northern hemisphere for its high-quality timber and ornamental qualities, with many cultivars commercially available. Description It is a slow-growing tree which may reach tall with a trunk up to in diameter. The bark is dark red-brown. The leaves are scale-like, long, blunt tipped (obtuse), green above, and green below with a white stomatal band at the base of each scale-leaf. The cones are globose, in diameter, with 8–12 scales arranged in opposite pairs. Related species The plant is widespread in Japan. The related '' Chamaecyparis pisifera'' (sawara cypress) can be readily distinguished in its having pointed tips to the leaves and smaller cones. A similar cypress found on Taiwan is treated by different botanists as either a variety of this species (as ''Chamaecyparis obtusa'' var. ...
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Japanese Red Pine
''Pinus densiflora'', also called the Japanese red pine, the Japanese pine, or Korean red pine, is a species of pine tree native to East Asia. Distribution and habitat ''P. densiflora'' has a home range that includes Japan, the Korean Peninsula, northeastern China (Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong) and the extreme southeast of Russia (in Siberia, southern Primorsky Krai). Description The leaves are needle-like, long, with two per fascicle. The cones are long. It is closely related to Scots pine, differing in the longer, slenderer leaves which are mid-green without the glaucous-blue tone of Scots pine. This pine has become a popular ornamental and has several cultivars, but in the winter it becomes yellowish. The height of this tree is . The plant prefers full sun on well-drained, slightly acidic soil. Cultivation In Japan it is known as and . It is widely cultivated in Japan both for timber production and as an ornamental tree, and plays an important part in the classic ...
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Ōi River
The is a river in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Geography The Ōi River flows from the Akaishi Mountains, the branch of the Japanese Southern Alps which form the border between Shizuoka, Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures. These mountains, with peaks ranging from 2000–3000 meters, are characterized by heavy rainfall (up to 3000 mm per year) and deep V-shaped valleys. The river follows a generally southern course, with seven wide bends in its central region, before exiting into Suruga Bay in the Philippine Sea. History The Ōi River is mentioned in Nara period records as forming the border between Tōtōmi and Suruga Provinces. However, due to shifting of the course of the river over the centuries, by the late Muromachi period, this was not always the case. During the Edo period, the Tōkaidō developed as the major highway linking Edo with Kyoto, and ''daimyōs'' from the western domains were forced to travel on a regular basis to Edo to attend to the ''shōgun'' in a ...
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Tenryū River
The is a river in central Honshū, Japan. With a length of , it is Japan's ninth longest river. Its source is Lake Suwa in the Kiso Mountains near Okaya, Nagano, Okaya in Nagano Prefecture. It then flows through Aichi Prefecture and western Shizuoka Prefecture. Geography The Tenryū River is the only river exiting Lake Suwa. It follows a generally southern course. The upper reaches of the river in the Ina Basin of Nagano Prefecture is a rich agricultural area. The river exits through a gap between the Kiso Mountains (Central Alps) and the Akaishi Mountains (Southern Alps), which forms the border between Shizuoka and Nagano Prefectures . This area is characterized by heavy rainfall (up to 3000 mm per year) and deep V-shaped valleys. Continuing south through Shizuoka Prefecture, the river drains a wide coastal plain noted for fruit and rice production. The city of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Hamamatsu is near the river mouth at the Philippine Sea. History The Tenryū River is men ...
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Sympistis Heliophila
''Sympistis heliophila'' is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae (the owlet moths). It is found in Europe and northern Asia (excluding China) and North America. The MONA or Hodges number A MONA number (short for Moths of North America), or Hodges number after Ronald W. Hodges, is part of a numbering system for North American moths found north of Mexico in the Continental United States and Canada, as well as the island of Greenla ... for ''Sympistis heliophila'' is 10156. References Further reading * * * External links * heliophila Articles created by Qbugbot Moths described in 1793 {{Sympistis-stub ...
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Minami-Alps, Yamanashi
is a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 71,618 in 27,956 households, and a population density of 270 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Minami-Alps is Yamanashi Prefecture's third largest city. The city's name was chosen in September 2002 from among entries submitted by the general public. Geography The city is named for its location on the eastern foothills of the "Southern Alps". This mountain range includes Mount Kita, Japan's second-highest mountain, as well as a number of other mountains that top 3,000 meters. The urbanized zones lie along the three rivers running along these mountains: Midai River, Takizawa River, and Tsubo River. The area is noted for growing fruit, especially: cherries, peaches, plums, grapes, pears, persimmons, kiwi, and apples. Surrounding municipalities * Yamanashi Prefecture ** Nirasaki, Hokuto, Kai, Chūō, Ichikawamisato, Fujikawa, Hayakawa, Shōwa * Nagano Prefecture ** ...
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Nagano Prefecture
is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the northeast, Saitama Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the southeast, Shizuoka Prefecture and Aichi Prefecture to the south, and Gifu Prefecture and Toyama Prefecture to the west. Nagano is the capital and largest city of Nagano Prefecture, with other major cities including Matsumoto, Ueda, and Iida. Nagano Prefecture has impressive highland areas of the Japanese Alps, including most of the Hida Mountains, Kiso Mountains, and Akaishi Mountains which extend into the neighbouring prefectures. The abundance of mountain ranges, natural scenic beauty, and rich history has gained Nagano Prefecture international recognition as a world-class winter sports tourist destination, including hosting the 1998 Winter Olympics and a new ...
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