[Hiraoka Greenary Center in Sapporo] Tunnel of Red Maple Leaves Are Very Good, I Feel As If I Saw Fall Foliage in Kyoto

Hiraoka Greenary Center

Hiraoka Greenary Center (平岡樹芸センター) is a botanical park opend in 1984, and is commonly known as Midorimu (みどりーむ). Mr. Sanjiro Takezawa (竹澤三次郎) donate land with trees, and the park was developed. 100 kinds of trees, about ten thousand tress, such as 3000 Japanese Yew (イチイ) and 700-800 Mountain Maple Trees (ヤマモミジ), Nomura Maple Trees (ノムラモミジ) and Japanese Weeping Maple Trees (シダレモミジ) are planted on the site of about 3 ha. The park is famous as a beauty sopt for cherry blossom and fall foliage, too, and a lot of tourists and photographers come to take photos in cherry blossom season, from early June to mid June, and fall foliage season, from mid october to early November. In addition, Tanabata Star Festival (七夕祭) is held in early August, too. Admission free. A parking lot is free of charge.
Park Guide Map in Japanese

Western Garden (西洋庭園), Large Lawn Area (芝生広場), Japanese Garden (日本庭園), Donated Trees Area (寄付木々保存展示区域), Dry Wall Garden (ドライウォールガーデン), Rock Garden (ロックガーデン) and Wisteria Trellis (藤棚) at the Hiraoka Greenary Center, and the tourists can enjoy various trees while looking around. In addition, Suikinkutsu (水琴窟 * buried earthen jar that makes sound when water drips into it), a management office (管理事務所), a parking lot, an tree plant shop and a restroom are provided, too. I actually looked around the park, and various types of the gardens are not too large, so I did not get tired. It takes about 30 - 60 minutes on foot. It is better to ask a volunteer guide, Environment Supporters "Sanjiro-no-Kai" (環境サポーターズ「三次郎の会」), if you want to know more in detail about trees or the park. But perhaps they can not speak English. By the way, Hiraoka Park (平岡公園) that is famous for Ume grove is close to here, too.

Hiraoka Park

Hiraoka Park (平岡公園) is a comprehensive park of 664,000 m2 in Kiyota ward, Sapporo city, and has opened since 1991. It is away from the downtown of the Sapporo. In the parks of the Sapporo, it is the 4th largest park after Moerenuma Park (モエレ沼公園), Makomanai Park (真駒内公園) and Maruyama Park (円山公園). The Hiraoka Park is divided into 2 parts, East Area and West Area by Hokkaido Expwy (道央自動車道). The East Area has a baseball ground, a tennis court, a gateball ground, a multi-purpose open space, Playground Equipment Open Space (遊具広場), Earth Open Space (地球の広場), Lawn Open Space (芝生広場), a parking lot and a public restroom, and the West Area has Ume Goove (梅林), a man-made marsh, Sanri River (三里川), Lawn Open Space (芝生広場), Flower Open Space (花の広場), a park golf course, public restrooms and parking lots. Especially, the Ume Groove is the most famous things in the Hiraoka Park, and is also well-known as a good place to see the Ume blossoms. The best time to see the Ume blossoms is about from early May to mid May. Admission free. A parking lot is free of charge. Article is here

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. Article is here

Fall Foliage of Hokkaido

It is said that the Fall Foliage of the Hokkaido turns red 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. Article is here

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