Beautiful Biei - Breath-taking Brilliance

10th of August, 2010 - After a stop at the Hill of Zerubu, we came to the place that T-chan's parents had been looking for. A wonderful part of paradise known as Shikisainooka - the Colours of Four Seasons Hill. This is about 6-7 km south (as the crow flies) of the actual town of Biei and is definitely one of the must see places in the area. The map below shows you how to get there from Biei itself (you may need to zoom in). The farm is free - however they do request a 200 yen donation for the up-keep. The following link also shows the calender of flower blooms throughout the year across Biei.

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Shikisainooka is a cross between a working flower farm and a tourist attraction, and shows just how well such multi-purpose industry can work. The farm sits on about 7 hectares , and is open all throughout the year. It also happens to be home to the obligatory hay bale giants. At night they come alive and devour any stray tourist that mistakenly finds their way onto the farm... it's tragic, but what a great place to be eaten by a straw monster.

The garden - earlier in the year - has a lot of lavender, but like most such places the season for lavender had already passed us by.  Still, whilst there wasn't much in the way of lavender available, the farm more than made up for it in terms of sheer colour. And I won't even pretend to know what all the flowers are.... but instead, I will let the photos do the talking. I most probably should try culling down the number of similar photos - but for the life of me I just don't know which I can take off.

The one thing I will say however is - this was one of those moments as you come over the rise that you just can't believe how beautiful the flowers are....

There's just so much variety... even in the uniformity!

This is not the only such farm in the area - in fact Biei and Furano are famous throughout Japan for such beautiful vistas.

And another feature of the area - other than the hills of flowers - are the trees (though I didn't shoot any good examples). They have a fetish here for the unusual single tree (or clump of trees) set against the hillside.  An example is the famous Ken and Mary Tree.

And once again, the landscape of Hokkaido is a fantastic supporting star in this production... looking more like the sweeping tree-covered European plains than a Japanese countryside. Unfortunately we arrived quite late in the afternoon... hence the long shadows of our family in the foreground. On the downside we only had about 30 mins to look around before it was due to close - but on the upside, the lower sun had started to cast a wonderful light over the fields. Another highlight that really didn't come out in the photos was the giant of a mountain, Daisetsuzan that loomed amazingly over the landscape... unfortunately there was too much cloud around to get a good pic of it - but it made me want to pencil in a driving trip through Daisetsuzan National Park on one of our up-coming trips back to Japan.

Here's one last one for luck. Beautiful... and that has nothing to do with the photos either.

Of course - L-kun was having fun, but there's only so many flowers to examine. A tractor however is a source of endless joy and curious fun. Of course, I'm not entire sure that this was meant to be part of a play gym (and thinking back on it, we were perhaps lucky the he didn't find the key and start it up and go for a late afternoon drive through the flowers - one way to get on the news).

And I mentioned that the farm also has a strong lavender connection. Well, that extends to the favourite tourist item in Japan - the seasonally flavoured ice-cream. In this case, lavender soft-serve. Whilst the flavour is not designed to knock your socks off, it was most definitely lavender.

And just to show that I don't let my wife do all the stunt work, here I am getting stuck into my own.... but hold on... what's that moving in the background. Oh no! The boy hay monster has come to have it's own just-woke-up-and-have-a-horrible-gnawing-hunger-pain satisfying snack. 

Will I escape?... you'll just have to stay tuned for the next post.

Meanwhile... at least someone with a camera drove back to Sapporo that night (it's about 2+ hours). The driver was Otousan, who had done a brilliant job throughout the day - despite repeated requests to share the driving. It was definitely a long, long day... and yet it was beautiful to watch the passing scenery as the sun set - the hot humid summer mist rising from the fields.

Then again... maybe I never left that field of flowers...

Journey To Biei - A Breath of Fresh Air

10th of August, 2010 - After a very long (and a bit turbulent) day at Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa (to the north of Sapporo), we were on our way back home when Otousan decided to take us through Biei. Now Biei is a small town, notably on the way to the much more well known area of Furano. What's the area well known for? Well come Spring/Summer, it's famous for flowers - and in particular lavender fields. Well - it was too late in the year for Lavender (which is harvested and the hills are left decided unadorned), but we were hoping to see a few flowers anyhow.

Actually - the area between Asahikawa and Biei were quite remarkable for their open pastures and distinctly non-Japaneseness... though that's perhaps being a little too stereotypical. The openness of Hokkaido is wonderful. Despite the fact that Okaasan had suffered a strong bout of heat-stroke, she'd recovered well enough to indulge us (and here I mean, me) by stopping occasionally to get out the car to enjoy the scenery.

I hadn't really had much of an expectation of Biei... I knew they grew lots of flowers, but that was about it. Then we came across a small field on the way to Biei and we pulled over to have a better look. The place was called Zerubunooka (The Hill of Zeruba... for some reason).

View Hokkaido Map in a larger map

We jumped out of the car, and I was a little excited at this point... Not sure what the flowers were below, but they seemed to sign-post a flower field. That was good enough for us - though it was clear that T-chan's parents thought we might have better luck down the road. Still, it was late in the afternoon, and as they say - a bird in the hand...

Now this is very much a tourist location - and you can buy all sorts of gifts and go for quad-bike rides. The real reason to come here is the flower fields - and we found that the Lavender fields had definitely gone (beware, I've read a lot of English literature that suggests the Lavender fields are open till the end of August... I'd suggest that July is the latest you'd want to leave it). Still the flowers were nice, and there were a wide assortment there.

The name doesn't mean a whole heap to me - however, they seem to think it's important to announce the proper coordinates: latitude: 43°35'13" and longitude: 142°28'13"... Good ol' Google Maps tells me it's 43.60674° (lat) and 142.47102° (lat). Does any of this matter? Well, most probably not unless you were planning to attack the flower field with Cruise Missile. Not perhaps the most likely thing... all things considered.

The flowers were quite muted, and I have to admit that I was a little disappointed (after hearing of the famous flower fields). Still, you have to make the most of what you've got, so we had a bit of fun walking around enjoying the blooms (and the tonbo, dragonflies).

And it was a good time to just relax in the late summer evening... and I think Okaasan enjoyed the fresh (cooler) air. It was nice to be able to spend some time together just walking around talking and enjoying the scenery.

And the scenery wasn't just "flower fields"... but there was sunflowers (ok, I know, they're flowers too), and some more of the open pastures. As I said, not an image that I would normally associate with Japan. I could have stayed around a lot longer taking photos... and enjoying that fresh country-pure air.

But Otousan was getting a little frustrated with all of the dawdling - he wanted to get a move on (as he something else to show us... ). We all jumped in the car and headed off for our next destination. Biei.

But you'll have to wait for the next post to see what we found... and to give you a hint, we finally found what we'd been looking for.

Takino Suzuran Hillside Park - I Love it THIS Much!

5th August, 2010 - After trips to two cemeteries, it was time to take a different path... to Takino Suzuran Kyuryu Kouen, or Hillside Park. This is without doubt one of the great places in Sapporo for children (and adults alike). It's about 23 km south of Sapporo Station, and definitely better to get there by car. However, if you've got the opportunity it's worth the trek, and just down the road from Takino Reien.

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Here's a helpful excerpt from the official site:

•From Sapporo Station to Makomanai Station via the Nanboku / Green Line: 20 min.  Adult fare 280 yen. •From Makomanai Station to Takino Park by bus: 30 min. Take Chuo Bus’s “Takino Line” and get off at “Suzuran Koen Higashiguchi”.  Adult fare 430 yen

Now, this is a very hard park to describe... it's half childrens adventure park, half natural wonder-land - and I'm sure come winter it's a snow-scape delight... and even goes by the name Takino Snow World. It was early August however, and as hot as... well, as hot as Sapporo gets.

There a number of different "zones" within the park, that provide a huge variety that I can't hope to describe. And indeed the park may be too large to see all in one day... which is good for the next trip. The park opens out on to a beautiful lake area with waterfalls. No water restrictions here - and a good place to have a quick bite to eat.

And L-kun was already in "extreme energy zone"... running all over the place. And we hadn't even seen any of the children's area yet. Poor Okaasan... she didn't realise just how busy today was going to get at this stage.

The first area is a giant concrete slide section. Lots of slides of different steepness and length, and this was the first area where L-kun could really get down and play.

And indeed, he and Daddy just ran up the stairs and went for a slide. Watch out Mummy!... Here I come. Of course, Daddy wasn't being very observant. Otherwise, I would have noticed that all the other children were wearing helmets. A quick announcement over the PA let us know...

...All children have to wear helmets to ride on the slides (provided free, in a variety of sizes). This was the first time L-kun had worn a helmet. I have to admit that I think that the helmets were over-kill compared to the slides themselves. In Adelaide, we have some slides at St Kilda which made these look like a walk in the park. Japan is definitely more likely to over-protect than in Australia. But when in Rome.... or Sapporo.

There's another area just above the slides which is like a giant's playground. Lots of fun activities for the kids to do. And.. er... the adults. The good thing is that there's also plenty of vending machines to re-hydrate yourself during summer. I was starting to get hot already...

...And so was L-kun. Thankfully, we had also brought L-kun's bathers (for just such an occasion). There are a number of ponds and slow water slide areas that are favourites amongst the children. A good place to sit down and take a breather while the children play. Just expect to get a little wet.

One of the strangest areas (didn't take good photos here) was the ant-hill. You can see it in the background, behind the slides on the photo above. It's actually quite tall - but the surprise is on the inside. The anthill is hollow. You can either climb up and go for a slide down (about a two storey slide),  or you climb down and down into the bowls of the earth. Actually, it's quite daunting looking down from the top. Not good for those of us that aren't good at heights.

Looking up into the interior of the anthill.

The anthill contains a number of ants (including a very hard to find "Queen ant" which is great for the children to go for an ant-hunt. The other thing, the anthill leads to a series of underground tunnels and ante-chambers. I'm not sure what purpose these serve, but it's easy to become a little disoriented in there; saved only by strategically placed signs. Finally - the light of day!

And finally, you come to the great gem of Takino... the hill. I'm sure this hill used to be ski slope during winter, and I'm sure is the centre-point of the "Snow Land". In summer there is another attraction. Balls. Great Big Red Balls. Seriously. This is fun. These balls are huge, and that hill is high. The point. Push the balls up the hill, and let them roll down.... Are you ready L-kun?

Down they go.... and go.... and go....!

And of course, there's always Ojiichan to lend a helpful hand for L-kun. If by helpful I mean, running over L-kun. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt a bit.

Note: Running down hills with cameras is generally not considered a good thing to do. But a man gotta do what a man has gotta do!

Meanwhile L-kun and T-chan were getting jiggy with it on the giant fluffy eggs. The parks name, not ours. These are a different take on the trampoline idea. Fun by whatever name.

Now by this time it was actually getting pretty late in the afternoon, and we had just scraped the surface of things to do in the park. We took a break and went for a walk around the beautiful hillside zones.

As well as being a children's paradise - this is also a naturalists heaven (btw - I don't mean naturalist in the nudist sense... just in case that's your thing). I mean, there's lots of nature to enjoy... wherever the signs take you...

Around every corner there's something new to explore... 

Whilst it wasn't Spring, there were still plenty of flowers around to enjoy...

Some of which were quite interesting... at least from a photographers perspective.

And it wasn't just me that was enjoying them... the dragonflies (tonbo) were loving them as well. I have to admit that I was never fond of dragonflies as a child. They always reminded me of giant wasps, and that tail just had to hold a horrible sting.... which of course they don't. Still, the things you fear as a child often colour your judgement as an adult. 

I was therefore quite shocked to see my beautiful wife do the following thing. She taught me a trick... when you see a dragonfly, hold up your finger vertically... very still. And they will land on it. I laughed... yeah right. But it's true. Lo and behold... the dragonfly landed right on her finger. Just as she said.

You see, not only was I shocked that tonbo seemed to have this addiction to land on anything that stands up like a twig... but this twig was my wife's finger... the same wife that screams when she sees a spider >.< this big. Tonbo magic.

Not to be outdone... L-kun tried, and once again, like clock work, along came a dragonfly on queue. I even tried it... and again and again it happened. I'm still a little surprised to this day. Perhaps because there are so many dragonflies in Japan come late summer that you can try this...  whereas they are rarer here in Australia at least. I just don't know if this behaviour is common elsewhere, and would love to find out...

Now, we'd had a full day by this time... and we'd covered perhaps less than 30% of the park. Along with the fun, there's lots of educational value to, with an information centre freely available.  Indeed the whole day is incredibly cheap... park entry is only 400 yen for adults, and 80 yen for children. That's right. 80 yen. That's less than 1AUD. Car parking is about 400yen per car, so that makes this a very affordable day out. 

If you come earlier, in July, there's also a good chance that you'll see the lavender fields as well. Alas we were too late for that. Still, it's a great place just to walk around and enjoy the scenery. I can't recommend this place enough... but just leave yourself plenty of time. It's huge.

This is my late submission for the J-Festa July Post! It's not quite about July, but by the time you read it, it will be just ready for early August.

Meeting With Family Departed - A Traditional Sapporo Cemetery

5th August, 2010 - Today was going to be a big day, and it was going to start off with a trip to T-chan's Ojiichan's grave in Sapporo. L-kun had been to Japanese cemeteries a few times now, and he knew (instinctively) that these were different sorts of places. He also knew that there was a connection between this place and what Okaasan did in terms of the family shrine, or butsudan back at her home. He naturally did, as he often does at home, and put his hands together in prayer. I doubt that there's much prayer going on - other than wishing for some of the food offering to be offered his way... Still, it makes you wonder. What do children think about in cemeteries?

Now this cemetery is quite different from the one at Takino (where Otousan's family's grave is). This is more your old-school cemetery. Nothing too fancy, and a little more traditional. The cemetery is in a relatively nice location in the city with the graves leading up to a hillside shrine, Souma Jinja... it's a peaceful resting place.

The mood in this cemetery is still, and slightly sombre. In that, it reminds me of a more typical cemetery that I might find in country Australia (ok - minus the Buddhist statues...). And quite a contrast to our next stop...

I'm sure there are many stories to tell in this place... and it's also the sort of place that invites the visitor to wander around and examine the headstones (though I'm not sure about how this is seen). There are many interesting examples in the cemetery, which a sense of unease prevented me from focussing on. After all, a cemetery is not the sort of place that makes for a good blog story in general. It is a personal place, and filled with many memories. 

Yet there's something in seeing how different cultures mark the passing of their people; their parents, their children, and even those that are no longer remembered in any other way. And how at the end of the day, they are not too dissimilar.

I have to admit that I don't know much about the history of this small cemetery...It's a nice spot however to be at one with the earth again, and I suppose that's not a bad thing to seek for in that which comes after. 

We paid our respects to T-chan's Ojiichan - whom we last saw back in the 2005 New Year prior to his passing. Partings are never final however, and we often meet even those that have gone before in our thoughts. I hope that he would have been happy for his grand-daughter, and satisfied that I had been looking after her well enough. I recall his soft gentle smile the first time I met him; and seeing him at our pre-wedding party back in October 2003. They are happy memories for me.