WEATHER: CLOUDY
HUMIDITY: 70%
I participated in a mushroom observation event organized by the Kyoto University Mycology Club in Kyoto. I consulted with Mr. Irusa , who runs the mushroom portal site Kinokobito and is my mushroom mentor, about a mushroom hunt, and he kindly allowed me to participate in the mushroom observation event with him. I was also fortunate to meet new members of the Kyoto University Mycology Club, and it was a valuable experience.
The people who gathered for the observation session included not only Kyoto University students, but also alumni and working professionals—people from diverse backgrounds who share an interest in mushrooms. Every time I participate in an observation session, I'm reminded of how mushrooms truly have the power to connect people and bring them together, transcending all boundaries.
Here are some of the mushrooms we were able to find on this day.
After the observation session ended, I had lunch with Mr. Irusa and we talked about mushrooms. Many of my fellow mushroom enthusiasts use microscopes to examine mushrooms in more detail. Most of them are interested in the classification of fungi, and even though we're talking about mushrooms, everyone looks at different things and is interested in completely different things. The variations are endless, and it's fun just to hear what everyone is interested in. I've never observed mushrooms in detail with a microscope, so I asked him about the actual procedure for looking at mushrooms with a microscope and what you look for.
The key to collecting mushrooms, apparently, is to slice them very thinly using a razor blade. This is said to be quite difficult and requires careful attention. The world of mushrooms seen under a microscope goes far beyond what we generally imagine, and it seems that fungi, viewed at a microscopic level, have a different kind of beauty.
As mentioned at the beginning, the mushroom website "Kinokobito" publishes microscopic images that you don't usually get to see, so please check it out.
Relaxed and fluffy microscopic photos of "Macrolepiota procera" | Mushroom People
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