Ghostly trees covered in snow and rime ice -- known as "snow monsters" or juhyou (frost-covered trees) in Japanese -- are a celebrated feature of the winter landscape in mountainous areas of northern Japan. Here are a few photos.
Hakkōda Mountains, Aomori prefecture [via]
Hakkōda Mountains, Aomori prefecture [via]
Mt. Moriyoshi, Akita prefecture [via]
Hakkōda Mountains, Aomori prefecture [via]
Mt. Zao, Yamagata prefecture [via]
Mt. Moriyoshi, Akita prefecture [via]
Mt. Moriyoshi, Akita prefecture [via]
Mt. Moriyoshi (Moriyoshi shrine), Akita prefecture [via]
Mt. Zao, Yamagata prefecture [via]
Mt. Zao, Yamagata prefecture [via]
Mt. Zao, Yamagata prefecture [via]
Mt. Zao, Yamagata prefecture [via]
Mt. Zao, Yamagata prefecture [via]
Mt. Zao, Yamagata prefecture [via]
Mt. Zao, Yamagata prefecture [via]
Mt. Zao, Yamagata prefecture [via]
Hakkōda Mountains, Aomori prefecture [via]
Mt. Zao, Miyagi prefecture [via]
Mt. Zao, Yamagata prefecture [via]
Mt. Moriyoshi, Akita prefecture [via]
Hachimantai Plateau, Akita prefecture [via]
Mt. Moriyoshi, Akita prefecture [via]
Mt. Azuma, Fukushima prefecture [via]
Mt. Azuma, Fukushima prefecture [via]
Hakkōda Mountains, Aomori prefecture [via]
Norek
Nice views. Almost like Winter in Poland ;)
[]Joel
You have pretty hard winters over there too, here things can get a little dangerous with lightning storms and excesive rain. It's truly wonderful how our world have all these curious things were nature lives and dies....
[]George Wolff
Lovely. Thanks for sharing these pictures
[]maria
Amazing photos!!
[]Stan
Very atmospheric and beautiful shapes. Thank you.
[]Krishna
pretty and pretty amazing!
[]Katy
Beautiful and memorable for me who skied in the HakkÅda Mountains many years ago.
[]Smurfswacker
Beautiful pictures! And some of them look like the Snow Goons in "Calvin and Hobbes!"
[]Emily-Claire
These are so beautiful and whimsical! I almost thought they weren't even real. Thank you so much for sharing these great shots!
[]Wayne
Mother Nature never fails to amaze. I am surprised I have never seen these before they are so beautiful: and considering that I think part of where I live goes as north as Japan (British Columbia, Canada); I'll have o check a map. I paint winter scenes in watercolor medium and these would be awesome to paint. Isn't it amazing how angelic the photos are where there is no sign or evidence of trespass from humans? There is a much deeper message there.
[]caroline
TRIPPY - FANTASTIC - THANX 4 SHARING
[]Christophe
we have some similar things in the alps too : https://picasaweb.google.com/christophe.leBesnerais/RaquetteAuMoucherotte#5547333470721699826
[]Terry Osterhout
What an amazing set of images!
[]AkaTako
Those are great! They really do look like monsters growing out of the snow - ready to tackle us and eat our brains?
[]Matt
Wow... it's breathtakingly beautiful...
[]Dana Janbout
WOW , Amazing , it's like from another planet , loved the cottage .
[]undefeated creation , thanks for sharing .
mir
Nice
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