Image search results - "kura" - JAPAN PHOTOS by Philbert Ono

Image search results - "kura"

Cherry tree forest near the Nishi-guchi (west) gate.

Monorail to Chiba Koen Station 千葉公園駅

Chiba Castle as seen from Kencho-mae monorail station.

Entrance to Inohana Park

Koganei Park sakura

View of Chiba Park from monorail. 綿打池

Path to Chiba Castle (visible on left)

Huge trees shower you with cherry blossoms.

Looks like Suganuma, another village in Gokayama area.

Chiba Park approach

Chiba Castle and paper lanterns

Chiba Castle Sakura Matsuri lantern

Entry road to Ainokura village. Bus stop shelter on right.

White weeping cherry blossoms

Chiba Castle tower

Low branches are common

Way to Ainokura, one of the gasshou-zukuri villages in the Gokayama region designated as a World Heritage Site. Ainokura has over 20 houses with steep thatched-roof houses amid high mountains. Ainokura is also a National Important Traditional Townscape Preservation District (重要伝統的建造物群保存地区).

White weeping cherry blossoms

Chiba Castle

Pink weeping cherry blossoms

What you see first is a big parking lot for tour buses. Then you see the hordes of tourists.

Ainokura monument

View of Ainokura which is also a National Important Traditional Townscape Preservation District (重要伝統的建造物群保存地区).

Cherry blossoms and Chiba Castle

Seibu Ikebukuro Line train station entrance at Ikebukuro, Tokyo. It takes about 90 min. from Ikebukuro to Yokoze Station via Tokkyu express train. Cheaper trains take 2 hours.

View of Ainokura from a hill

Seibu Ikebukuro Line train with shibazakura design.

Seibu Ikebukuro Line Yokoze Station. Get off here for an easy walk to Hitsujiyama Park where the Shibazakura moss pink hill is. A tourist info office is on the left. 西武池袋線横瀬駅

Senzoku-Ike Pond and cherry blossoms.

Bird's eye view of Ainokura 相倉展望台

You can buy a park entry ticket (300 yen) at a booth in front of Yokoze Station. Maps also available. Underpass at Yokoze Station.

Cherry blossoms and Chiba Castle

Noh stage and the cherry tree used as the barometer for Tokyo's cherry blossom blooming condition.

White and pink weeping cherry blossoms

Ainokura

Corners

Entrance to Hitsujiyama Park. Show your ticket or buy it at the booth nearby.

About 30 weeping cherry trees ring the pond's perimeter.

Front view

If you go early in the morning, there are fewer people.

Path to other areas of the huge park.

Chiba Park

Quite spectacular when the flowers are in full bloom.

Tall one

Ainokura

These photos were taken in late April 2007. (Copyright year in the images are mistaken.)

Ainokura is smaller than Shirakawa-go, but still tourist-driven.

It is not yet full bloom. A few patches of green.

Another cherry tree forest near the center of the park.

Statue of Chiba-no-suke Tsuneshige and Chiba Castle tower 千葉介常重Lord Chiba-no-suke Tsuneshige was the founder of Chiba Castle in 1126.

On sunny days, great for taking pictures.

The cherry blossoms lining Sotobori Moat also look stunning from the road, Sotobori-dori in front of Kagurazaka.

Slope to Arakawa Shizen Koen Park from the Arakawa 2-chome streetcar station on the Tokyo Toden Arakawa Line.

"Senzoku" means "wash feet." One legend says that Nichiren washed his feet in the pond.

Cherry blossom pathUeno Park is one of Tokyo's major spots for cherry blossoms. Not very picturesque, but there are a lot of trees and people. The cherries at adjacent Shinobazu Pond are more picturesque.

Reaching low

Statue of Chiba-no-suke Tsuneshige built in Dec. 2001 to commemorate Chiba city's 80th anniversary. 千葉介常重Lord Chiba-no-suke Tsuneshige was the founder of Chiba Castle in 1126.

Weeping cherry

People in a long line waiting to enter Canal Cafe to either dine or rent a rowboat.

Cherry trees along the park's perimeter.

The area with the cherry trees is called Sakurayama.

Trees in full bloom

Visitor's center entrance to the outdoor architectural museum.

Vinyl tarps reserve picnic areas for flower-viewing parties at night.

Most of the weeping cherries are planted along the pond's edge.

Statue of Chiba-no-suke Tsuneshige 千葉介常重Lord Chiba-no-suke Tsuneshige was the founder of Chiba Castle in 1126.

Weeping cherry next to the water park.

Eight varieties of moss pink are planted. This is Autumn Rose. ｵｰﾀﾑﾛｰｽﾞ

Canal Cafe is right below the cherries. But notice empty tables despite the long line.

Cherry trees along the streetcar tracks.

Cherry blossom promenade

Chiba Park weeping cherries

Stone wall at entrance

Weeping cherries

Autumn Rose. Moss pink flowers have five petals with notches, looking like miniature cherry blossoms. The flowers are small. ｵｰﾀﾑﾛｰｽﾞ

Empty rowboats too.

Cherry blossoms near JR Sugamo Station

Bentenjima, a small peninsula connected by a bridge.

Center of Ainokura and souvenir shop.

Hanami

Boats for rent

Steps to front entrance

Cherry trees along the Sotobori Moat. Formerly a moat of Edo Castle, this canal stretching from Iidabashi Station to Ichigaya Station along the Chuo Line.

Moss pink is therefore commonly called "shiba-zakura" which can be translated as "grassy cherry blossoms" or "lawn cherry blossoms."

Swan boats on Shakujii Pond. 石神井公園

The pond is also depicted in woodblock prints such as by Hiroshige.

Winter-flowering cherry blossoms and Dai-Hondo Hall

Thatched roofs

Flower-viewing parties can in the daytime or nighttime

Deck

Ainenji temple 相念寺

Great day for flower-viewing

Castle tower

Dancers under the cherry blossoms in Ueno Park, Tokyo

Little Dot. リットルドット

Winter-flowering cherry blossoms, Nishi-Arai Daishi, Tokyo 寒桜

Low-rider cherries

These pictures were taken in the fall.

Roof tiles with the Chiba clan's crest

Rock musicians

Little Dot are white flowers with a yellow dot at the center. リットルドット

Shakujii Pond 石神井池

Rowboats and low-hanging cherries.

Typical Somei-Yoshino cluster of cherry blossoms

The castle tower is built on an anti-earthquake foundation.

Little Dot

The end of the moat is also a good viewpoint.

Cherry blossom curtain

Spare thatch, Ainokura

Children's playground

Exhibits inside the castle, a folk and history museum for the Chiba clan and Chiba city.

Reserved flower-viewing spacePeople come early in the morning and stake out a prime picnicking space for their company or group to gather later in the day or in the evening.

Top floor of castle

The end of the moat is also a good viewpoint.

This was a weekday.

Little Mermaid

Center of Ainokura

Reserving flower-viewing spacePeople come early in the morning and stake out a prime picnicking space for their company or group to gather later in the day or in the evening.

Balcony on top floor

McDaniel's Cushion ﾏｯｸﾀﾞﾆｴﾙｸｯｼｮﾝ

How it looks from the end of the moat.

Sakurayama with hanami pinickers.

Beautiful day

Unfortunately, the mesh fence ruins the view and picture-taking.

McDaniel's Cushion are dark pink flowers. ﾏｯｸﾀﾞﾆｴﾙｸｯｼｮﾝ

How it looks from the end of the moat.

Reserved flower-viewing space for the evening.People come early in the morning and stake out a prime picnicking space for their company or group to gather later in the day or in the evening.