by Yuji Ozawa (Japanese site)
You are the th guest of my site. (since99/02/10)
Akiyoshi-Do is a limestone cave at Yamaguchi prefecture. Below photo is the entrance of this cave.
Akiyoshi-Do is very big limestone cave. We can walk inside of this cave about 1.5km. But real length of this cave is more than 8km.
We can see many stalactites. Upper photo is tipical stalactites which named 'Daikoku-bashira". 'Daikoku-bashira". means prop.
Upper photo is "Ougon-chu" which means Golden pillar. The height of "Ougon-chu" is 15 meters.
This photo is "Senmai-zara" which means one thousand plates. It is the fantastic world.
Sun Flower & Zinnia (Banyu at Hiratsuka)
Banyu Fureai kouen (Banyu park at Hiratsuka ciyy) is famous for its big flower garden. Spring is Papaver rhoeas and autumn is Cosmos. And this summer I found Sun flower and Zinnia.
As for Sun Flower, I remember the big Sun Flower garden in the movie 'Sunflower'.
Zinnia, we call it 'Hyakunichi-so' in Japanese. Hyakunichi means 100 days in Japanese. This flower is looks strong and almost 100 days it blooms continuously.
Red Pink, and Yellow, we can enjoy colorful flowers of Zinnia.
In October this flower garden is covered with Cosmos flower completely. Hiratsuka city is one hour from Tokyo by train, and east side of Sagami river.
Yokohama port is one of the biggest comercial port of Japan. This port is opend at 1859, just 150 years has passed since then. So memorial events are opened now. Below photo is Earth balloon. It is a big globosity screen.
Port side area are newly redevelopmented. Zou-no-hana (Elephant nose) park is one of them. Below 2 photos was taken from Zou-no-hana park.
The tower of right side is Yokohama Custom House, and ths tower of left side is Kanagawa prefectural goverment building.
Yakata-Fune (old fashioned house boat) is on the river. Maybe dirinking party is held on this boat. Japanese people enjoy their hot summer with beautiful nightscape. (Yokohama Yakata-Fune)
August 1st, Firework festival will be held at Minato Mirai Area. Many people will come to this festival.
Banyu is in Hiratsuka city, and west side of Sagami river. This area is nature park which name is Banyu Fureai Park. In this park, there's a big flower garden. Papaver rhoeas (Hinageshi) flower blooms in spring, and cosmos blooms in autumn.
We can see Mt. Ohyama in Tanzawa area from here. This mountain is very famous for its religious status, holy mountain. At the top of the mountain is Afuri shrine. Every year many people climb this mountain.
The flower in below photo is Hydrangea (Ajisai). Hydrangea is one of main flower of Japanese June. This flower colors many temples in June.
I like this faint blue color. June is rainy season of Japan. Then this faint blue color is brightend by rain.
Hiratsuka city is very famous for Tanabata festival in July. Then next month many people will visit here and enjoy this festival.
Yatsu Rose Garden is in Chiba prefecture, 5 minutes walk from Yatsu Station. This station is about 40 minutes Keisei train trip from Ueno Station at Tokyo. The rose garden in Minato-no-mieru-oka Park (Yokohama) is free charge, but Yatsu Rose Garden is charged. ( 360 yen ) However, I think contents are worth for charging.
There're more than 700 kinds of roses, and each rose flower has its own name. Below photo rose flower is "Double Daylight".
Blue color rose flowers are very rare, but in this garden there're more than 10 kinds of blue rose flower. Below photo is "Blue Light".
Below yellow roses are "Gold honey". I think yellow roses are also beautiful.
Last photo is "Colorama". The country of origin of this flower is France.
Yatsu Rose Garden is very wide, it is more than 10,000 square meter. Behind this garden is a tidal wetland, Yatsu-Higata. We can see many wild birds in this Yatsu-Higata.
Cherry blossoms are most popular flowers in Japan. Japanese word Hanami means enjoying cherry blossoms under cherry trees. I went to Honjo city (Saitama prefecture), Takasaki city (Gunma prefecture) on April 11 for Hanami.
This stela indicates this place is ancient Honjo castle. Here is behind of Honjo city office. Honjo is 90 minutes from Tokyo station by local train.
The torii of center of this photo is Shiroyama Inari shrine. In Japan, many Shinto shrines are colored by cherry blossoms in this season.
Upper photo is Takasaki-Kannon. The height of this statue is 41.8 meters, and this statue is on the top of hill that is 190 meters above sea-level. Around this statue is famous Hanami spot of Gunma prefecture, then many people visit here in this season.
Last photo is Takasaki Jousi Park which place is ancient Takasaki Castle. The white objects on the water are petal of cherry blossoms. This is a fantastic spectacle, don't you think so?
Katakuri no sato [Volost of Erythronium japonicum] (Kanagawa)
Katakuri (Erythronium japonicum) is a small pink flower that blooms in spring. "Katakuri no Sato" is a small hill which is in Sagamihara city where one hour train and half hour bus trip from Yokohama Station.
In Japan, Katakuri is called a flower that tells spring. Then many Japanese people love this flower as like as cherry blossom.
Typical color of Katakuri is pink, but some Katakuri blooms in yellow or white. Below picture is Shirobana-Katakuri (White-Katakuri) . I hear that many Yellow Katakuri will blooms on this hill next week.
Below flower is Shoujou-Bakama (Heloniopsis orientalis), we can see this flower all over Japan mountain area.
Next is Mitsumata (Edgeworthia chrysantha), this plant is famous as the raw material of Japanese paper.
Many people who has camera visit "Katakuri no Sato" in this flower season.
Shinjuku-Gyoen (Tokyo)
Shinjuku is a big downtown area of Tokyo. And Shinjuku-Gyoen is National Garden near this area, five minutes walk from Shinjuku JR Station. This garden is famous with the cherry blossoms in spring, and every season we can enjoy various beautiful flowers.
Below yellow flower is Fukujuso ( Far East Amur adonis ). We can see Fukujuso all over Japan in early spring. This flower is very beautiful, but it is poisonous.
Today Feb. 15th was very warm day, many people enjoy Ume blossoms. Ume is Prunus mume. In Shinjuku-Gyoen there're many kind of Ume, Ko-bai (Red Ume), Haku-bai (White Ume) and so on. Some birds like smell of these flowers.
Next flower is Camellia, its Japanese name is Tsubaki. Tsubaki in Izu Ohshima is very famous.
The center of Shinjuku-Gyoen is Japanese style garden. We can see many Carp fish in the pond. And some ducks were seen in this pond. Many people enjoy warm spring day around this pond.
Hikawa Shrine (Saitama)
Hikawa Shrine is at Ohmiya-ward in Saitama city, north of Tokyo. This is a big Shinto Shrine, therefore many people vistit on New Year Day.
Hikawa Shrine is 20 minutes walk from Ohmiya JR station. If you take JR Takasaki line from Ueno station, it takes 27 minutes. Then this shrine is not so far from Tokyo, but this is my first visit to this shrine.
Every Japanese Shrine has big gate at this entrance. We call it Torii.
The bridge of upper photo is 'Shin-kyo', it means God Bridge. I know same name bridge is in Nikko city. By the way, do you know Hikawa-maru which is a big ship tied up Yamashita-park at Yokohama? This ship's name is derived from this shrine.
Hatsu-moude means year's first visit to shrine. On New Year Day, many people visit Hikawa Shrine. The number of people who visit Hikawa Shrine on January every year is more than 2 million.
I am a Japanese Engineer born in Tokyo. Now I'm living in Yokohama which is near city from Tokyo. I love mountains, classical music, personal computer, novels, movies, trip and so on. Let's enjoy my web site. Thank you.
My site opened in 1997, and I wrote only in Japanese since then. Now I have many foreign friends, co-worker. Then I decided to start English page today (02/24/2008).
[ Special thanks to Amanda (USA), Tanya (Canada), Gustavo (Venezuela) ]