Tulips at Kiso Sansen Koen

One of the many parks in Japan that we have visited over the years is the Kiso Sansen Park. What makes the park unique is that it straddles three prefectures - Aichi, Gifu and Mie making it Japan's largest National Government Park.The centre of the park and its main access point is in Kaizu city in Gifu prefecture. It is the meeting point of three rivers- Kiso, Nagara and Ibi. 

Of the many flower festivals in the park, the most popular is the Tulip Festival. 

The Tulip area is created in a way that recreates the Tulip fields of Holland. Even miniature windmills are placed amidst the tulip fields. 

About 260,000 tulips of 125 kinds can be seen in the park. 

The colorful tulips create spectacular patterns. 

Miffy, the dutch rabbit character from Dick Bruna's books is a popular character among young children in Japan. During the Tulip festival, Miffy also 'makes' an appearance in the park and people queue up to get a picture clicked with Miffy. 

The Tulip flowering season in April sometimes coincides with the Cherry Blossom festival and it indeed is a treat for the eyes. 

The 360 degree panoramic view from the observation tower offers spectacular views of the colorful tulip beds in the park.

The Kiso Sansen Park is undoubtedly one of Japan's best flower parks and host many festivals from spring through fall. In summer it is also a popular place for picnics. It has a large play area which goes by the name Adventure Land. It features lots of colorful play equipment for kids of all ages. 

There are a couple more parks in the Japan popular for Tulips, the most frequented being the Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki prefecture and the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Nagasaki Prefecture. 

Address: Gifu Prefecture 503-0625, Kaizu city, Kaizu-cho, Aburajima 255-3

Phone: 0584-54-5531 

Entrance fees: Free ; Observation tower 620 yen

Opening Hours:  Weekdays 9:00-17:00 and Weekends 8:00 - 18:00 

Closed: 2nd Monday of every month and December 27-30th each year

Parking: Ample Free Parking available

Official Website: http://kisosansenkoen.jp/e/kiso_sansen_park_center/ 

A visit to Snow covered Shirakawa- go

it has been a while since I have posted anything on the blog. Few things have kept me busy, one of them being studying Japanese and appearing for the JLPT exam. And I can happily announce that I have managed to clear the N3 exam ! Preparing for the exam hasn't kept me away from my passion - travelling ! My family has been making the use of every available opportunity to travel and experience the culture and beauty of this wonderful country. I will be updating this blog more often than I did in the last year, hopefully !

Let me renew my blogging with a post about our recent travel to one of my favorite spots in Japan - Shirakawa Go. Last month we visited the well known UNESCO World Heritage site in the neighboring Gifu prefecture for the second time (the earlier visit had been in summer 2013). Our memory of the place was that of thatched roofed Gashho zukuri houses standing tall among rice fields in the Hida valley. I had written about that visit in a previous post titled Idyllic Shirakawa.   

Our recent visit was in winter when the entire valley was covered in thick snow. The view of the Ogimachi Gassho village from the Tenbodai (viewpoint) on a nearby hillock.

The snow covered Gassho zukuri houses in Ogimachi stood out in the white snow. 

It was a wonderful sight, a contrast from our memory of the place. We took a picture of some Gassho zukuri houses at the same spot as we had taken in our previous visit in summer and when we compared the two pictures the contrast was amazing. Nature never fails to amaze us. 

Even in the cold snowy weather conditions, there was no dearth of tourists and there were many tour groups and tourists were enjoying the sights and playing in the snow.

During January and February, the village is illuminated at night for a couple of hours and this event attracts many visitors. We did not stay back for this as the drive back home late in the night would be difficult due to the snowy driving conditions. 

 As per the news reports, this winter has been slightly warmer compared to other years. And the amount of snowfall has been much less than the average snowfall in the region.  

Paid parking is available at the Seseragi Parking area uphill and free shuttle buses ply visitors between the parking lot and the Ogimachi Gassho zukuri village.

On our way back from Shirakawa go we drove past the Omaki dam and Miboro Dam to enjoy some picturesque views of the snow covered area. 

Even if you have visited Shirakawa go in any of the other seasons, I would definitely recommend a visit in winter. 

Access details and other information are available on my previous post about Shirakawa Go. Click here to read my previous post.

Ena Kyo Gorge

Lately I haven't been posting much stuff. Though  I have been wanting to write for long time, somehow I have not been able to. Hopefully I will post more in the days to come. 

One of our day trips in Autumn was to a place called Ena Kyo. Ena Kyo or Ena Gorge is a scenic place in the neighboring Gifu Prefecture. It is a popular spot among tourists during the Cherry Blossom season in Spring and for Foliage Viewing in Autumn. 

 Ena Gorge is located along the historic Nakasendo highway which connected Kyoto and Tokyo (erstwhile Edo) during the Edo Period. It is also close to the old Nakasendo posts of Nakatsugawa, Magome and Tsumago. 

The Kiso river, popularly referred to as Japan's equivalent to the Rhine, runs through the Gorge. Various rock formations can be seen along the Gorge. 

The best way to enjoy this scenic place is from a cruise boat which take visitors around a 20 km area to view the rock formations. 

The 30 minute cruise boat trips are especially popular in Autumn and Spring when the cliffs appear to be decorated by the seasonal colors. 

Visitors can also hike along a circular trail between Oi Dam and Enakyo Ohashi Bridge. 

Address: 509-7201, Gifu Prefecture, Ena city, Oi-machi, Okudo 2709-104 (Ena Kyo Jet Marine)

Phone: 0573-25-4800

Website: http://www.tohsyoh.jp/ship/jet_e.html (English)

Fare: Adult 1280 yen and Children (up to 12 years) :640 yen
         (Discount coupon available on the above Website)

Closed: Cruise cancelled in Inclement weather

On our way back to Nagoya, we stopped by at the Michi no Eki- Obachan ichii. 

Michi no eki are stops on Highways with facilities similar to the service areas on Expressways.

This one featured a Huge Wooden Waterwheel and offered nice views of the Origawa Dam nearby.