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Maruoka Castle is Japan's oldest surviving castle tower although it collapsed during the Fukui Earthquake in 1948. Rebuilt in 1955 with most of the original materials. Originally built in 1576 by Shibata Katsutoyo, nicknamed Kasumiga-jo (Misty CastlePhoto: Way to Maruoka Castle from the bus stop.
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Welcome to IbarakiTrain platform of Kairakuen Station.
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Yoshino Baigo was a valley and hillside covered with ume plum trees. It boasted a wide variety of different plum blossoms. During full bloom as you can see here, the scenery was spectacular. One of the largest plum groves in Japan.Platform of Hinata-Wada Station with welcome banner 日向和田駅. Banner says, "Yokoso, Ume no Sato Yoshino Baigo." Yokoso means "welcome," and Ume no Sato means "plum town."
To get to Hinata-Wada, you have to change trains at Ome Station on the JR Chuo Line.
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Entrance to castle grounds
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Train platform of Kairakuen Station
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Closest train station is Hinata-Wada Station. To get to Hinata-Wada, you have to change trains at Ome Station on the JR Chuo Line. 日向和田駅Sadly, spring 2014 was the last time we could see these trees. The plum trees were infected by the plum pox virus and the city cut down all the trees in 2014 to wipe it out. These photos were taken in 2006 when the plums were still fully glorious. Good news is that they have been replanting since 2016.
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The stone marker says National Treasure Kasumiga-jo Castle.The castle was a National Treasure until it collapsed in the 1948 Fukui Earthquake. Now an Important Cultural Property.
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Train platform of Kairakuen Station
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Although still small, the replanted plum trees have been flowering. and the groves have reopened to the public. Yoshino Baigo poster. Yoshino Baigo is a small town in Ome city near Hinata-Wada Station.
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Chiba Park approach
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Maruoka Castle tower
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Plum Blossom Queen at Kairakuen StationShe was passing out maps of the garden. It was a nice touch to see two of these kimono beauties greeting us.
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Road to Yoshino Baigo. Almost the entire town is lined with plum trees.
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Maruoka Castle tower
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Plum Blossom Queen
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Tamagawa River as seen from the bridge.
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White weeping cherry blossoms
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Maruoka Castle tower
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Entrance to garden via Tokiwa Shrine. One of Japan's three most famous gardens, Kairakuen is especially noted for thousands of plum blossom trees which bloom in Feb. and March.One of Japan's three most famous gardens, Kairakuen is especially noted for thousands of plum blossom trees which bloom in Feb. and March.
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Plum trees line the streets
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White weeping cherry blossoms
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Tokiwa Shrine, MitoDedicated to Lord Mitsukuni Tokugawa, the second lord of Mito, and Nariaki Tokugawa, the ninth lord of Mito and the one who built Kairakuen Garden.
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Yoshino Baigo's main attraction is the Ume no Koen plum park. This is an entrance leading to the park.
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Pink weeping cherry blossoms
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Path to castle tower
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Bonsai plum treesI bought one of these once and the flowers smelled good before they withred away. The tree also died soon afterward.
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Ume no Koen park straight ahead, you can see the hill covered with white.
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Maruoka Castle
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Crowd at Higashi-mon East GateThis was the defacto main gate and most crowded since it is closest to the train station.
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Entrance to a temple with a view
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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.
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Way to Mogusaen Garden
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Map of Kairakuen, a garden built in 1841 by Tokugawa Nariaki (1800-1860), the ninth Lord of Mito. It is one of Japan's three most famous gardens.
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Great view from temple (no admission charge). Sadly, this is no more...
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Seibu Ikebukuro Line train with shibazakura design.
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Decorating the path to Mogusaen Garden
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Pinickers
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View from temple. The plum pox virus was discovered in 2009. Since then, they have cut down the infected and surrounding trees.
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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
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Long uphill slope will keep you panting until the garden entrance.
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Old shachi (killer whale) roof ornaments made of stone.The original shachi were made of wood with copper plating. But during WWII, the precious copper was taken and these two stone shachi were made to replace the original shachi. These two shachi fell off the roof during the 1948 earthquake and were replaced by a replica of the original made of wood and copper plating.
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Plum blossom-viewing picnickers
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Tulip Festival ahead. Free admission. The Tulip Matsuri Festival comes on the heels of Hamura's Sakura Matsuri held in early April along the Tamagawa River.
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You can buy a park entry ticket (300 yen) at a booth in front of Yokoze Station. Maps also available. Underpass at Yokoze Station.
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Entrance to Mogusaen Garden
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Steps to castle tower entrance.
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Red and white plum blossoms
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About 120 varieties of plum blossoms are planted, attracting 60,000 to 100,000 visitors during the flowering season.
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Tulips everywhere. The Tulip Festival started in 1988 when a group started a flower and greenery campaign in the city.
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Steps to garden
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Side of castle
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Near the entrance to Ume no Koen plum blossom park that opened in March 1972.
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White and pink weeping cherry blossoms
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The tulip fields cover about 23,000 sq. meters. These are originally rice paddies. The tulips are grown when the rice paddies are not used during Nov.-May.
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Flowers in bloom in early May
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Entrance to Hitsujiyama Park. Show your ticket or buy it at the booth nearby.
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White plum blossoms, the most common variety, and with the sweetest aroma.
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Ume no Koen (Plum Park) is a public park open from 9 am to 5 pm.
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About 30 weeping cherry trees ring the pond's perimeter.
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Quite overwhelming with about 360,000 tulip bulbs.
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If you go early in the morning, there are fewer people.
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200 yen admission charged during March only. But I went on April 1 so it was free (and full bloom).
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Chiba Park
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Quite spectacular when the flowers are in full bloom.
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Shoren'an which is now a restaurant. 松連庵
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Osaka-zuki red plum blossoms 大盃Osaka-zuki
大盃
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White weeping plum blossoms
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Hamura Tulip Festival, Tokyo
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These photos were taken in late April 2007. (Copyright year in the images are mistaken.)
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Plum tree and Shoren'an
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Plum tree grove, about a week too early.
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Red weeping plum blossoms at park entrance
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It is not yet full bloom. A few patches of green.
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One of the few plum trees in bloom in early Feb.
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Fantastically-shaped plum tree
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Red weeping plum blossoms
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Meoto-Iwa Wedded Rocks off the coast of Futami-cho, Ise city, Mie Prefecture. 夫婦岩
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Nezu Station (Chiyoda Line) platform. Just follow the sign to get out the correct exit. 根津駅
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On sunny days, great for taking pictures.
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The cherry blossoms lining Sotobori Moat also look stunning from the road, Sotobori-dori in front of Kagurazaka.
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Cherry blossoms along the Shakujii River, near Shin-Itabashi Station on the Mita subway line.
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Plum blossoms
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Entrance to castle tower
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Konan Shomu plum blossom 江南所無Prunus mume Kounanshomu
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Red weeping plum blossoms
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The Wedded Rocks are part of Futami Okitama Shrine known for frog sculptures. 二見興玉神社
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Weeping cherry
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On the street, just follow the signs to Nezu Shrine. Only a few minutes walk.
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People in a long line waiting to enter Canal Cafe to either dine or rent a rowboat.
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There are cherries on both sides of the river and a walking path on both sides.
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1st floor of castle towerThe steep stairs go to the 2nd floor.
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Plum Blossom Queens in Kairakuen, Mito
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Pink and white weeping plum blossoms
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Most of the weeping cherries are planted along the pond's edge.
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The shrine is dedicated to Sarutahiko and Ukano-mitama. Sarutahiko is a god which serves as a pathfinder guide. Deities for land/sea transportation safety. 二見
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Red tulips
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Weeping cherry next to the water park.
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Nezu Shrine torii gate 根津神社
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Eight varieties of moss pink are planted. This is Autumn Rose. ｵｰﾀﾑﾛｰｽﾞ
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Canal Cafe is right below the cherries. But notice empty tables despite the long line.
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Entrance to one walking path with a poem monument.
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1st floor of castle tower
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Plum Blossom Queens in Kairakuen, Mito
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White weeping plum blossoms
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Chiba Park weeping cherries
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The frog is Sarutahiko's messenger. Frog is called "kaeru" in Japanese, which is a homonym for the another word meaning "return home." If you travel a lot, pray here for a safe return. 夫婦岩
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Yellow tulips
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Weeping cherries
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ハナモモ はなかいど
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Nezu Shrine torii gate 根津神社
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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
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Empty rowboats too.
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Centerpiece plum tree but too early for flowers. 寿昌梅
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1st floor of castle tower with photos of other castles.
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Pink weeping plum blossoms
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Boats for rent
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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.
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Futami Okitama Shrine does not have a main hall (Honden) like most other shrines. It worships the Okitama Sacred Stone in the ocean beyond the Wedded Rocks. 二見興玉神社
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The Bunkyo Tsutsuji Matsuri or Azalea Festival is held from April to early May at Nezu Shrine which has a slope filled with 50 varieties of azaleas.
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Moss pink is therefore commonly called "shiba-zakura" which can be translated as "grassy cherry blossoms" or "lawn cherry blossoms."
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Swan boats on Shakujii Pond. 石神井公園
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Shoren'an and picnic tables
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Old-style "bay window?"
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Winter-flowering cherry blossoms and Dai-Hondo Hall
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Plum trees and Lake Senba
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With about 1,300 plum trees, this park is probably Tokyo's largest plum tree grove.
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Lantern and sunset at Futami Okitama Shrine
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Azalea Garden and Nezu Shrine gate 楼門（国指定重文）
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A short walk from the Information Center is Area C (C-chiku), a flat area of woods with katakuri flowers in bloom. C地区
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Cherry tree shadow
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Sandal store
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View of the city
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"Sama" hole to shoot weapons (arrows or guns)
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Plum trees and Lake Senba
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Work of art by nature
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Sunset at Futami Okitama Shrine. In the old days when traveling was a hazardous undertaking in Japan, pilgrims who traveled to worship at the Ise Grand Shrines prayed here for a safe return home.
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The azaleas usually reach full bloom in late April, but there are flowers which bloom later or earlier so there's always something in bloom during the festival period.
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Little Dot. リットルドット
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They even provide a small deck for you to stand on to see the flowers. C地区
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Hitsujiyama Park with weeping cherry blossoms and Mt. Bukosan. 羊山公園
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River wall
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2nd floor
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Winter-flowering cherry blossoms, Nishi-Arai Daishi, Tokyo 寒桜
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Plum trees and Lake Senba
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Path in plum park
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Little Dot are white flowers with a yellow dot at the center. リットルドット
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Among the trees and grass, you can see the small purple flowers. C地区
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Hitsujiyama Park with weeping cherry blossoms
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Shakujii Pond 石神井池
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Rowboats and low-hanging cherries.
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Shakujii River sprinkled with fallen petals.
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Roof tiles made of stone (rare)
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Men carry spanking-new shimenawa ropes to the rocks.
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Azalea bushes and Ryotei teahouse
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This bridge was recently rebuilt.
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It is getting rarer to see these flowers in Tokyo. Kiyose has an active movement to help preserve and nuture these flowers every year.
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Little Dot
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Hitsujiyama Park and Mt. Bukosan.
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The end of the moat is also a good viewpoint.
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Pleasant walking path.
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Roof tiles made of stone (2nd floor)
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Winter-flowering cherry blossoms 寒桜
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Torano-o plum blossom (Tiger's Tail) 虎の尾
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Path on hillside of plum trees
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The Wedded Rocks are actually a type of torii gate for worshipping the Okitama Sacred Stone in the ocean.
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Hanamomo
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The large slope of azalea bushes have walking paths where you can see and photograph the flowers up close.
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Japanese dog's tooth violet (katakuri or Erythronium japonicum)
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The end of the moat is also a good viewpoint.
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Flowering crab apple (Hanakaido in Japanese). This is early April. 花海棠
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Roof tiles made of stone on Maruoka Castle
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Pine trees and plum trees
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Hillside plum trees
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The torii on the larger rock is quite small. The sacred rope is replaced three times a year on May 5, September 5, and at the end of December.
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Pine branches and azaleas
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A bee's eye view.
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Hanamomo
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Nezu Shrine, Tokyo
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McDaniel's Cushion ﾏｯｸﾀﾞﾆｴﾙｸｯｼｮﾝ
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Japanese dog's tooth violet (katakuri or Erythronium japonicum)
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How it looks from the end of the moat.
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Flowering crab apple (Hanakaido in Japanese) 花海棠
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Stairs to top floor
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