标签日本下的文章

Notojima岛附近的牡蛎养殖场，日本石川县 Oyster farm offshore from Notojima Island, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan (© divedog/Shutterstock)

Aw shucks, It's Oyster Day

It may look like we've led you into a squishy green minefield, but don't worry, these clustered oysters will only explode with flavor. In honor of Oyster Day, August 5 of each year, we're getting a glimpse of just one method of oyster mariculture, or farming in open seawater. The briny bivalves may be grown on beds, rods, racks, or—in this case—ropes, but the basic process is simple: Growing surfaces are 'seeded' with whole or ground oyster shells before oyster larvae are introduced. The shells attract the larvae, which attach themselves and soon grow into a new layer of mature oysters. Humans have been doing this at least since the days of ancient Rome, but wild-picked oysters have been an important food source to many cultures since prehistory.

Oysters also played an important role in US history, and could impact the future of our biggest city: Until the 1800s, New York Harbor was home to a trillion or more oysters, possibly half the world's supply. Naturally growing on craggy, reeflike beds on the harbor floor, they formed strong barriers against swelling storms. By the 20th century, overharvesting and pollution had decimated New York's oyster population. When Hurricane Sandy hit the NYC region in 2012, it highlighted the city's vulnerability to extreme weather, especially as ocean levels continue to rise. Since then, initiatives have aimed to seed new beds with oyster shells, many collected from local restaurants.

盛开的樱花和姬路城，日本姬路 Cherry blossoms and Himeji Castle in Himeji, Japan (© Tororo/Getty Images)

Castle on a hill

In honor of Castle Day in Japan, we're featuring Himeji Castle—one of the most pristine examples of traditional Japanese castle architecture, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Castle Day is on April 6 (or 4/6) because the Japanese character for castle (城) is read as 'shiro,' and the Japanese pronunciation of 'four' is 'shi' and 'six' is 'ro.' Samurai warrior Akamatsu Norimura built Himeji Castle in 1333 as a fortress. Over the years, the structure has undergone many remodels, and several buildings were added as it changed hands. The castle even survived WWII unscathed while surrounding areas were bombed mercilessly.

以东京塔为背景皇宫附近盛开的樱花，日本东京 (© Jon Arnold/Danita Delimont)

薄雾笼罩的河流中的丹顶鹤，日本北海道 (© Paul & Paveena Mckenzie/Getty Images)

Mountain Fuji sunrise (© Juan Paulo Gutierrez/Getty Images)

Mount Fuji Sunrise for new year

Mount Fuji is one of Japan's "Three Holy Mountains". It is the highest volcano in Japan, the 2nd-highest volcano of an island in Asia, and the 7th-highest peak of an island in the world. It is an active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707-1708. Mt.Fuji is also a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and one of Japan's Historic Sites.

By the way, the sunrise on New Year's Day is called "first sunrise" or "coming light", but these two are slightly different. "First sunrise" was the subject of religion, based on the legend that the new god descends with the first sunrise. "Gokumitsu" is originally a Buddhist term. It refers to worshiping the sunrise at the top of a high mountain and is actually a summer term.

初雪与最后的秋色相会，日本 Early season snowfall meets the last of the autumn colors, Japan (© SpontaneousPictures/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

"Snow and autumn leaves" Tokushima

Today is “Koyuki”. On the calendar, it is said that it is slightly snowing. It's still autumn, but it's getting colder in the morning and feeling the coming of winter ...

This is the mountain landscape of Tokushima. The snow in the far peak is thin, contrasting with the autumn leaves remaining in the foreground. In Tokushima Prefecture, you can enjoy abundant mountain peaks and beautiful autumn leaves that color the Sanuki Mountains that extend to the border with Kagawa Prefecture and the Kenzan Mountains with coniferous forests.

秋日景色倒映于镜池中，日本长野 Autumn colors reflected in Mirror Pond (Kagami-ike), Nagano, Japan (© magicflute002/Getty images)

Kagami-ike Pond in Nagano

Literally (Kagami means mirror), the pond projects the reflected scape of Togakushi Mountain Range and its view changes seasonally. With no wind blowing, the surface of the pond is calm with no ripples and it is just as beautiful as if it were a real mirror. Mountain Togakushi has been a place of practice for practitioners and Togakushi Ninjas.

Marine Day in Japan

In Japan, the third Monday in July is Marine Day (also known as Ocean Day), a day to show appreciation for the seas and oceans, particularly as an island nation. The modern holiday also serves as an official start of summer in Japan, and many folks hit the beach to celebrate the end of tsuyu, the rainy season. The holiday started as Marine Memorial Day in 1941 to mark the anniversary of the return of the Meji Emperor, but it wasn't observed as a national holiday until 1996. Some also mark Marine Day with beach cleanups and other environmentally friendly activities. In Okinawa, people throw EM (effective microorganism) mudballs into the sea—these contain bacteria and yeast targeted at eliminating sludge and slime., Other areas host beach cleanups and aquariums host special Marine Day events.

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