21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Silent water surface

Surrounded by mountains including the Iide mountain range, Iide Town in Yamagata Prefecture receives heavy snowfall in winter that piles up to several meters high. In April, when the snow begins to melt, meltwater flows in from the Shira river, Hirokawara river, and Koya Rivers. For a month from the end of winter to early summer, the broad-leafed trees, mainly the "white willow" that grow in clusters in Shirakawa Lake, filled with snowmelt water, that floods the forest. In the early morning, the water surface changes from light blue to emerald green, depending on the angle of view.The trees waiting for spring were covered in the soft light of the morning. The thick fog peculiar to the area creates a fantastic reflection of the submerged trees. Gradually, the submerged forests sprout new greenery and change their beauty into fresh green submerged forests. As spring passes, the melting snow flows into the fields to grow crops, and the submerged forests resurface. The four seasons are beautiful, with the heat of summer and deep snow in the winter unique to the basin, and the "humid" scenery of Yamagata. Here are the beauty and nature of mountains, forests, and rivers. This scene is a scene created by the creation of an artificial dam lake. Dams have benefits, but they also have environmental drawbacks. However, the scenery that spreads out in front of you has undeniable natural beauty. In the early morning, shrouded in thick fog, the trees waiting for spring stand quietly. As the sun's rays illuminate the fog and trees, the fog takes on a gradation of warm hues. It is like a Japanese ink painting, and the quiet world of monochrome spreads out.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 03.2020
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Iide town, Japan
Camera: NIKON D4S
Copyright: © KAZUAKI KOSEKI