16th October 1999 'Shiraneaoi' of Mt. Hachikoku.Ogunichmachi City, Niigata Prefecture. On Mt. Hachikoku (517m) where I am carrying out a fixed-point observation, you can see wild 'Shiraneaoi' which can only be found in Japan. Before, so many of them grew that they covered the entire mountain in purple, the colour of its flower. But recently, the number has been drastically reduced due to the reckless picking resulting from the mountain flower boom. Concerned with this situation, Mr. and Mrs. Nakamura from Nagaoka city who were born and brought up at the foot of Hachikoku, bought the area for its conservation and are making a steady effort to create 'Shiraneaoi' sanctuary. Because this town of Oguni is affiliated to Musashino city, the people from the latter participated in the work of getting back the plant to grow on the mountain that took place on the 16th of October.

	The Nakamuras who are working hard for the conservation of Shiraneaoi. They are explaining about the seeds before planting work starts.		People from Musashino city planting in the bad weather due to the recent atmosphere pressure.
	Shiraneaoi only grow in the regions in Japan with relatively heavy snowfall. Dreaming of the day when the pale purple flowers bloom, the work advances steadily.