The Satomi plateau

The plateau is a good place for astronomical observation.
Peak height 702m (2436ft.)

The "Satomi Plateau" is situated between Fukushima Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture, 150 miles north of Tokyo. Geomorphologists in Japan call it "old" plateau. What does it mean "old plateau"? When you think about differences between The Rocky and the Appalachian Mountains in the USA, you can easily understand the meaning of "old".

The satomi plateau is a sub-plateau of the Abukuma pleateau There is a lovely ranch, in the center the Satomi slateau, that is the biggest (The ranch has only 520ha ! ) in the region. The day I visited the ranch was in mid-fall. Most of trees started falling their leaves on the ground. I started cycling at the bottom of the plateau. It was hard climbing but I enjoyed the autumn leaves on the way to the plateau.

It was just good season for enjoying autumn leaves.
My bicycle is in the right bottom of the picture.

It was extremely fine day. Yellow leaves of palms trees went well with blue sky! The ranch is open to public. You can enjoy camping during summertime. Be careful that it's prohibited to do camping after September.

On the top of the ranch, I saw a man who was decomposing his equipment of private astronomical telescope and putting them into his vehicle. I recognized that the plateau was a good place for observation. There were no houses around the top.

I went to New Zealand when I married. I remember the landscape of New Zealand. I recommend that you will visit this plateau in spring or fall.
(11/19/2000)

Access: 4 hours (15 miles) from JR Takahagi Station or 2 hours (10 miles) from bus-top at "Bokujyo Iriguchi" in Satomi-village, Ibaraki, Japan.