[Edwin Dun Memorial Park in Sapporo] Fall Foliage and Cherry Blossoms Can Be Enjoyed in Memorial Park for Live Stock Father of Hokkaido

SAPPORO

Sapporo (札幌) that about 1,960,000 people live is the largest city in Hokkaido. Although there are various theories, its origin of the name is "Dry Big River (乾いた大きな川)" in Ainu language. A population of the Sapporo is the 4th largest city after Yokohama, Osaka and Nagoya in japan, and the population accounts for 36 % of Hokkaido's population! So the Sapporo has been flourished as the center of the Hokkaido. The area of the Sapporo is 1,121.26 km2, and is about as big as Hong Kong, and is the 7th largest city in the Hokkaido. The Sapporo is also famous as a tourist city, and about 15 million people come. As for a climate, it is hot that temperature rises to nearly 25 degrees in a summer, but it is easy to live without moisture. I always feel a little cool. It is cold that temperature falls to nearly -10 degrees in a winter, and amount of snowfall sometimes has more than 1 m. Read More

Fall Foliage of Hokkaido

It is said that the Fall Foliage of the Hokkaido turns into red color at the earliest in Japan. The best time to see the fall foliage comes in Daisetsu-zan at high altitude, and it comes gradually in low areas. It comes in Mt. Asahidake (旭岳) and in Mt. Kurodake (黒岳) in mid September, and autumn leaves fall in early November. As for the highlight of the Fall Foliage of the Hokkaido, tourists are bowled over by vast nature with the fall foliage, or are bowled over by small space that goes well with the fall foliage. Except famous beauty spots for the fall foliage, there are less famous beauty spots for the fall foliage such usual mountains and rivers or gorges here and there. Read More

Edwin Dun Memorial Park

The Edwin Dun Memorial Hall, Statue of Edwin Dun (エドウィン・ダン像), the Makomanai Waterway, a pond, walks, a public restroom, benches and playground equipments are at the park. The area of the park is 24,000 m2. It is not so large, and local people use the park as a relax place, so a lot of tourists do not come. I guess that it takes about 30 minutes to walk around on foot. I visited here to see fall foliage in late Octover. It was just autumn leaf time.

Edwin Dun Memorial Hall

The Edwin Dun Memorial Hall is a western-style wooden house of one story with a green roof and white walls at the Subway Namboku Line Makomanai Station's side, and resembles Former Nagaya Takeshiro Residence (旧永山武四郎邸) beside Sapporo Factory in Chuo ward. The Makomanai Cattle Ranch Office (current Edwin Dun Memorial Hall) was built in 1887, and has been designed as a registered tangible cultural property. 2 exhibition rooms and 1 drawing room is at the memorial hall, and people use a restroom freely.

I visited here on a weekday. A woman of Local Resident Volunteer Association (住民有志の会) received visitors, and I requested an observation, so she replyed "Yes, and cameras are allowed. Please enjoy yourself". At that time, 3 visitors except me observed exhibitions, so a lot of visitors came than expected. The building is not so large, so I suppose that it takes about 30 minutes to observe exhibitions.

After finishing observation, I read documents related to Mr. Dun at the drawing room. She came here, and told about him. He has descendants in the Japan and the USA. His descendants in the USA visited here, and she visited his descendants in the USA. In addition, Mr. John Dun, his son, won a Koshien title as a baseball player of Keio Futsubu School (慶應義塾普通部) in 1916. * The Koshien (甲子園) is the National High School Baseball Championship. She found a clue about that story. Thanks for telling interesting things!