The Visitor Center held various events over the long holiday.

We used a router to engrave designs on a glass.

The most popular design was a lizard. By drawing detailed designs on the glass, the objective was to help people see from a scientific viewpoint.

Some of the participants tried engraving a difficult ammonite. We even had ammonite fossils on hand to use as a model.

I was thrilled to see several groups of children who were making these glasses for their grandparents.

These glasses were originally supposed to be thrown out, but when I saw the children having so much fun making engraving them, I was very glad they were reused in this way.

The cherry blossoms are in bloom.

On April 26, we held the latest Kan x Kan Lecture Series "Make Turtle Straps & View Stones from South Africa."

It was fun to introduce things from the Samani Folk Museum that were related to turtles.

There was a magnificent "tortoise sculpture."

We learned about land turtles, sea turtles, and even the turtle that Gamera was modeled after.

Tortoise shell rocks. This "tortoise shell" is not from a turtle, but a chalky sandstone or mudstone with cracks in it, and those cracks are filled in with calcite. The tortoise shell rock on the right contains ammonite fossils, which indicates that it was formed in the ocean.

Next, we used braided string to make the turtle straps.

We viewed a "Collection of South African Semi-precious Stones" that was provided by a Samani Town native who received the collection during their deployment during an Antarctic research expedition. The jasper specimen caught my attention and reminded me of the "Sado Red Stone" located on the first floor of Samani Town Hall, which is made of jasper. It was a gift from the former Noda Village (now Niigata City) in Niigata Prefecture, as we are sister-villages with them.

Here are some photos from Mt. Apoi that I took on April 11^th.

Two Himeichige (Anemone debilis) were blooming.

This acorn really stood out to me.

Japanese sumac berries.

This is a dioecious species, which means this is the female plant. The fruit matures in October, so this must have fallen between fall and spring. My skin usually has a reaction to this plant when I touch it, and I wondered if that would still happen after it's withered.

I can still see snow at the summit from the 5^th station.

Dragonfly

Peacock butterfly.

This butterfly was fluttering around the rocks near Uma-no-se. Was it sunbathing? I think it had just awoken from its winter hibernation. The front of its wings is showy like a peacock, but the underside is inconspicuous, similar in color to the rock.

Seven-spotted ladybug

I wonder if this is a kibanehasami-mushi (Forficula Mikado) because of the reddish-brown color of the forewings and the pincers? I found it around Uma-no-se.

A few of Mt. Pinneshiri and the Hidaka Mountains from Uma-no-se.


There was still some snow left around the 8^th station and up.

There were some patches of knee-deep snow left around the summit. Please take care when descending the mountain!

I could see all the way to Cape Erimo.

I ran into a herd of deer around the 3^rd Station when I was heading back down.

At the end of my hike, I saw some black locust (?) seed pods on the ground.

Slowly but surely, we're working our way through cleaning all the geopark signboards (I have yet to get to the ones on Mt. Apoi though), so I thought I'd share some photos of what the town looks like this time of year.

There's still snow around the Horoman Dam even on April 1^st. Looking on past the dam, Mt. Hiroo-dake in the Hidaka mountains is still covered in snow. Contractors were in the process of inspecting the dam.

The signboard is in front of the dam.

There's still snow on the ground in Horoman-kyo Gorge where it's shady.

The river in front of the 3^rd Power Plant was green, and you could see the beautiful stones on the bottom of the river.

I met a fox near the Horoman River.

Next is along the coastline~

Seaweed gathering was underway from Fuyushima to Hirau. I was going to take a picture, but then a seagull landed right next to me.


Shiogama Tunnel & Rosoku-iwa (candle rock)

I noticed that the left part of the tunnel, where there was a small collapse last year, was already covered in concrete.

Cape Enrumu.

I saw the QR code for the Samani Folk Museum's stamp rally on the signboard.

A view of the Apoi mountain mass from Cape Enrumu.

Next, let's head towards the mountains~

Okada Cise.

I painted the wooden frame with a preservative.

I noticed an emergency reserves unit installed next to the Okada Community Center.

There was a bagworm attached to the signboard at the Samani Dam. I left it alone.

Last, I headed to the Shintomi Chart signboard.

Eggshells from the Fuyushaku moth (I think).

Just yesterday (Mar 31), Samani woke up to a thin layer of snow on the ground. It's been a while since we had snowfall in March.

A few days ago on March 29^th, we held the latest KanxKan Lecture event, "A Stroll Along Samani River."

We started our walk at the central community center.

As we crossed Seseragi Bridge, we were greeted with views of Mt. Apoi, Pineshiri, Tannett, Mt. Rakodake, and Mt. Tokachidake.

The fukujuso (buttercup) flowers were blooming. (FYI: These flowers are poisonous, so please don't eat them.)

We also saw fukinoto (butterburs). (By the way, miso fukinoto is delicious!)


We made bamboo leaf boats to float down the river. All the participants made excellent boats!

Most of the birds that are usually swimming in the river were resting on shore due to the strong winds!

A male mallard with curly tail feathers, a green head, and a yellow bill.

We came across some asatsuki (Japanese chives) and had the participants smell the aroma and check for bulbs in the ground. (These chives would be delicious in okonomiyaki~)


Ibotanoki shrubs(species of privet), are common in Samani. In summer, they are covered in white blossoms.

The strong winds created beautiful patterns on the surface of the river. I could also see some green moss on the riverbed.


We ended our walk back at the community center, next to the Japanese ash trees that used to be part of the Samani Elementary School's schoolyard.

I was very glad that this event was not canceled due to bad weather! I think for next time, it might be nice to walk along the Samani River in the opposite direction in either summer or fall.