Spring is here in Fukushima, and the Sakura trees are in full bloom! Well, technically they were in full bloom last week (see pictures of the Sakura trees last year on a previous post) but the trees still look quite beautiful.
We decided to spend our free day indulging in a favorite Japanese pastime: looking at spring blossoms. We biked out to Hanami Yama (花見山), which means "flower-viewing mountain". Apparently Hanami Yama is pretty well known throughout all of Japan as being a prime location to see an array of beautiful flowers and tree blossoms in the spring. And it's only a 40 minute bike ride from our apartment!
We had never been to Hanami Yama before, so we (meaning Eric) carefully checked the directions to ensure that we would know how to get there. But in reality, long before seeing the mountain, we saw a line of site-seeing buses and were joined by throngs of Japanese people toting cameras, bentos (bag lunches), maps, and little children. We simply had to follow the crowds. I can't imagine what it was like last week when the Sakura blossoms had just reached full bloom.
A 20 minute walk brought us to the entrance of the park. Being the adventurous people that we are, we immediately set out on the most difficult path, hiking directly up the mountain, and against the flow of people traffic. Later, upon receiving a map, we learned that (true to Japanese nature) there was a very specific course we were supposed to have followed to ascend the mountain. Oh well! The view at the top was incredible. The photos don't do it justice, at all, but we thought we'd include a few, just to whet your appetite. You'll have to come visit us next year to get the full effect!
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| Where a crowd gathers, one can usually find small shops selling yummy Japanese festival foods! |
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| The 20 minute walk leading to the park entrance. |
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| Hamani Yama - "Flower-viewing Mountain" |
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| A beautiful view from the top. |
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| We had a great view of Fukushima City and the mountains in the background. |
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| This is my camera's sad attempt at a panoramic view of the mountain. The actual site is absolutely beautiful! |
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| We spotted a Japanese foot bath at the end of our hike. Bliss. |
For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.
Christ, our God, to
Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.
For the beauty of each hour,
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon, and stars of light.
Christ, our God, to
Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.
For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild.
Christ, our God, to
Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.
For each perfect gift of Thine,
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flowers of earth and buds of Heaven.
Christ, our God, to
Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.
---Folliott S. Pierpoint (1835-1917)
