I notice that when the season is changing to new season, it will be rain around one or two weeks before becoming to another season. There are four seasons in Japan – spring, summer, autumn and winter.
The end of March to the beginning of April, the cherry blossom or Sakura begins to bloom. It will be full bloom around second weeks of April and will complete falling down around third weeks of April.
The blooming of cherry blossom is telling us that we are in spring season.
My favourite corner
In spring season, we can see many kinds of flowers are blooming around Japan. I feel that the world is decorated by several colour of flowers. It looks colorful as if there is a rainbow on the land.
Tokiwa koen is one of my favourite places to watch flowers bloom including cherry blossom blooming. One of my foreign friends who has ever studied at the same university with me used to call “Tokiwa koen” to me. At that time, I didn’t understand because my Japanese language was not so good.
“What is the meaning of Tokiwa ko-en” I asked my friend.
“Tokiwa is name of the place, this area called Tokiwa by Japanese people. Ko-en also called by Japanese people means park” she explained to me.
From now on I will call Tokiwa koen. Tokiwa koen, where is comprehensive park filled with greenery, various flowers and sculptures which was surrounded by a huge lake called Tokiwa Lake. This park is located in Ube city, Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan.
In my opinion, Tokiwa koen is an amazing place for exercising, relaxing, breathing of fresh air and sightseeing in order to refresh our mind. It can treat our stress or any worry without any payment. We can enter to the park with free of charge, but we just pay for parking only. However, if we park our car within 15 minutes there is no charge. I would recommend walk or ride our bicycle to the park because we will have much time for fat burning. According to research walking or riding a bicycle can burning fat very well and we don’t need to pay for parking.
Tokiwa koen became my most favourite place for relaxing, jogging, taking many pictures and seeing seasonal flowers. The children, adult or everyone who want to enjoy a beautiful scenery where peaceful place, rich nature and harmony in art also can join their activities there.
Old house
I usually enter to park by walk, sometimes I ride my bicycle and park it at the bicycle parking area which is near the map of Tokiwa park.
The beautiful flowers bloom throughout the path of the park. Shakunake is the name of flowers called by Japanese people. It is a kind of flowers same group with Azalea. Shakunake has characterized by many petals and several colour. When it becomes full bloom, it is bigger than my face. A thousand of flowers are blooming I feel like someone are welcome us.
I walked in the park for a short time, something amazed me. I looked at a Japanese traditional house in amazement. I’ve never seen that there is a traditional culture like old house presenting in the park before. I think this is a great idea.
This is a Japanese traditional house which display in the park, is characterized by grass roof, sliding door, Tatami flooring and wooden structure. The house was surrounded by cherry blossom tree. In front of the house and a side of house were decorated by peony tree. Peony flowers is bigger than my face when it becomes full bloom. There are several colour as well.
Peaceful corner
Next to a Japanese traditional house, there was a Tokiwa shrine which built on the small island in the lake. The small island was probably no more than 100 meters offshore. This is the gate for entering. I used to make a wish at this shrine when I take a walk at the park. Far away, I saw a lovely family – they were walking to the shrine with their cute daughter.
Every time when I come to the shrine, I feel like I am at the temple in my hometown. It might be because this place is surrounded by peaceful environment and beautiful natural.
Home of huge bird
Typically, we can see many kinds of bird flying freedom in the sky. Some bird cannot be like that. Especially, the bird is rare bird.
This is the pelicans. Pelican is a big water bird which has only eight kind of pelican patchy distributed throughout the world. This big bird can be found from tropical to the temperate zone. They are characterized by a long break and large throat pouch used for catching fish and draining water. Generally, the habitat construction of Pelican is on the inland and coastal area, where easy to catch fish.
At Tokiwa park, there is another small island in the lake. This is a habitat of pelican, the roof made from black net which cover small island and some part of the lake. This area is large enough for ten pelican or more. Fish is their favorite food.
Once day, I was jogging at the park at 4 p.m. I saw two staff were feeding fish to them. I headed to them for asking some question with suspicious.
“What is a kind of fish that you give to pelican?” I asked them
“It is Aji” they told me
Aji is name of fish called by Japanese people, it is a horse mackerel. We can find this kind of fish at supermarket or fish market throughout the year. Japanese cuisine, deep fried Aji is very tasty and Aji is often enjoyed as sashimi from early summer to mid-summer as well.
This is a great white pelican with light pink body and has yellow throat pouch. It is distributed southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa.
These big birds eat food two times in a day. Every 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., the staff will drive a small white truck with contain two fresh fish buckets.
A staff gradually opens the small channel which connect with the black net. After that they will call pelican, the pelicans come to him. This time he gradually throws fish to them. The pelicans use their long yellow throat pouch catch fish immediately.
In front of fountain
There are many benches situated around the fountain – I have sat down on the bench under cherry blossom tree and look around the fountain. I noticed that many flowers were planted around there such as daisy, poppy, dianthus or tulip.
These flowers were blooming together with cherry blossom, it looks very colorful and beautiful. In front of the bench that I was sitting down, my eyes were catching a kind of flower. It is tulip.
I could not wait to take a photo it. I suddenly brought my camera and press shutter many shots. I thought that the several color of tulip and another kind of flowers could make this park became many dimensional.
Decorating in white
Today, the weather was nice, the sky was so clear. I think this park is the most fascinating place that I have ever met. The flower bloomed, the beautiful nature, nice people, friendliness and harmony in art are attractive me or other people that have met.
I met two uncles who love to take photo while I was taking the photo of white flowers or daisy. They were enjoying with cherry blossom full bloom. Their hand had a good quality of camera that they used for keeping their wonderful memories. Personally, I don’t talk much with anyone at the park because they might need their own time without any disturb by someone. Anyway, I’ve just said greeting to them as usual like good morning.
Home of big fish
In another corner of the park, there is a café shop selling some coffee, drinking, ice-cream and bread for bird or fish. Sometimes I used to buy bread to feed fish. It is just only 100 yen.
This is one of my favorite corners, I love to watch fish and bird. Nearby, I met a little boy and his father were feeding fish with small pieces of bread. I guess they bought bread from café shop which near here. They are so kind.
I ‘ve been at the fence around the shore of the lake that many fish were living. It is amazed because many fish automatically swim to me. It seems they know I have food for them.
I’ve looked at fish in front of me before going back. Nearby, A big white fish was opening mouth in order to catch small pieces of bread. I tried to throw one small pieces of bread into its mouth as a game. The result was as expected. The food was into fish’s mouth.
how many actual the weight of fish? I am still wondering.
Friendly friend
Next to watching fish, another corner there were three children, one teenager and middle age woman feeding half hundreds of birds with small pieces of bread. They enjoyed feeding bird. I noticed that two girls probably brough the bread from home because in their hands were holding the plastics bag which contain many small pieces of bread. I think it is a lovely idea.
Two lovely girls giggled while they were feeding bird. I guess they have spent their own time with happily and had much fun in their activity.
I’d like to join them, but I can only image how much fun if I feed bird with them.
The octagon pavilion
Nearby, there was the octagon pavilion used as public rest house. The octagon pavilion is the unique pavilion which has eight- sided polygon shape of the roof. If you want to have a seat, I would recommend take a rest for a while at octagon pavilion.
I looked around octagon pavilion, it was surrounded by red tulip. It has been more relaxed environment around pavilion. The red tulips were planted as circle shape around pavilion. there were totally three circles. The red tulip planting in smallest circle shape was close to pavilion.
In addition, we can see beautiful scenery of another side of Tokiwa park which surrounded by cherry blossom tree and a big beautiful lake from here. I usually looked at the beautiful of water sparkle on the water surface which reflected by sunlight.
Iron bird
Before I was going to across the bridge that connect to another side of Tokiwa lake. I noticed there was an iron bird, is characterized by metal. I am not sure how it is height from the ground. I’ve knew that this iron bird used for wind direction monitoring. I think this is an amazing idea that they could create the valuable sculpture from worthless scrap iron.
I wish my hometown can create a good thing like this using worthless scrap iron, so we might reduce metal waste in our country.
Sometimes, I don’t want to lose my energy by sitting on the airplane or using the service of transportation for several hours and pay some money just one or two nights for the accommodation to go somewhere in order to see beautifully cherry blossom full bloom in Japan. Absolutely, I just want to see how much the beautiful of environment surrounding me. I hope you will enjoy with my simply life. 🙂