October 2 (Thursday) Since I happened to have the day off, I went to Kinchakuda in Saitama to see the red spider lilies. It was my first visit in three years, the last time being in 2022. Along the upper stream the colors had already begun to fade and it felt like the peak was over, but along the lower stream the flowers were in full bloom. I think the best viewing will probably last until around this weekend. For reference, three years ago I went on September 24. The extremely hot summer this year must have delayed the blooming considerably.
This time I didn’t bring my mirrorless camera—every photo was taken with my Xperia. Compared with the pictures I took with the mirrorless camera a few years ago, the colors of the petals didn’t come out nearly as vivid, which left me a little dissatisfied.