[Takino Suzuran Hillside National Government Park in Sapporo] About 250,000 Colorful Tulips Can Be Enjoyed during Tulip Suzuran Festival

Takino Suzuran Hillside National Government Park

Takino Suzuran Hillside National Government Park (滝野すずらん丘陵公園) is a popular park founded in 1983 in Minami ward, Sapporo city, and about 600,000 visitors come. This park is a quite large, and is area of about 400 ha. It is divided into 4 areas, Central Zone (中心ゾーン), Keiryu Zone (渓流ゾーン), Taki-no-Mori Zone East Area (滝野の森ゾーン東エリア) and Taki-no-Mori Zone West Area (滝野の森ゾーン西エリア), and there are 3 entrances, Taki-no-moriguchi Entrance (滝の森口), Keiryuguchi Entrance (渓流口) and Masumiguchi Entrance (鱒見口). Admission is JPY 450. A parking lot fee is JPY 410. * Only the Keiryu Zone is not charged. In addition, Admission free from December 23 to March 31.

The Central Zone has Country Garden (カントリーガーデン), Country House (カントリーハウス), Auto Resort Takino (オートリゾート滝野 * a campsite), Kodomo-no-Tani (こどもの谷), Mori-no-Sumika (森のすみか), Tusdoi-no-Mori (つどいの森) and a park golf course, and various flowers that are changed depending on seasons and large playground equipments are popular. The Keiryu Zone has Ashiribetsu Falls (アシリベツの滝), Funami falls (鱒見の滝), Furo Falls (不老の滝), Shiraho Falls (白帆の滝), Takino Park Information Office, Park Station and Fishing Takino along Atsubetsu River, and visitors can play in the water. The Taki-no-Mori Zone East Area has Mori-no-Koryukan Hall (森の交流館), a roller slide, Morimi-no-To Tower (森見の塔), Mori-no-Suiji Open Space (森の炊事広場), Mori-no-Kyoshitsu (森の教室) and Seishonen Yama-no-Ie (青少年山の家), and the Taki-no-Mori Zone West Area has Mori-no-Johokan Information Hall (森の情報館), Mori-no-Kansatsu Deck (森の観察デッキ) and Tanbo-no-Hiroba Open Space (田んぼの広場), and the visitors can play in a forest.

The Kodomo-no-Tani and the Mori-no-Sumika are popular large playground equipments with children in the Central Zone. In addition, the Ashiribetsu Falls is a popular winter tourist spot. A lot of visitors come to take a picture of a icefall. By the way, cycling, fishing and park golf can be enjoyed in a summer, and tubing, ski and snow shoes can be enjoyed in a winter, too.

There are 11 flower fields, Toge-no-Niwa (峠の庭), Country House-no-Teien (カントリーハウスの庭園), Kurashi-no-Hanazono (くらしの花園), Higashiguchi-no-Hiroba (東口の広場), Hana-no-Makiba (花のまきば), Yama-no-Hanabatake (山の花畑), Hana-no-Terrace (花のテラス), Hanabito-no-Kakurega (花人の隠れ家), Shukaku-no-Tani (収穫の谷), Makiba-no-Seseragi (まきばのせせらぎ), Mizu-no-Hiroba (水の広場) and Suzuran-no-Komichi (スズランの小径), in the Country Garden of the Central Zone, and various flowers can be enjoyed depending on seasons. Suzuran (Lily of the valley in Japanese) that the park's name was named after is in full bloom in early June, and a tulip field, one of 2 major places famous for tulips together with Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park (かみゆうべつチューリップ公園) in Hokkaido, is in full bloom from late May to early June.

The tulips are planted in the Hana-no-Makiba of the Central Zone, and the visitors have to enter the entrance of the Keiryu Zone. The visitors must walk for about 30 minutes if the entrance is wrong because each entrances are not connected at the park. The Central Zone has Central Gate and East Gate, and the visitors can reach to the Country Garden (カントリーガーデン) with the tulips from each entrances. I visited there via the East Gate. The East Gate is decorated by circular pansies and welcome visitors. I was interested that there were a chair made of plants and gateposts made of the pansies near the East Gate.

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

Kamiyubetsu Tulip Fair

Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park (かみゆうべつチューリップ公園) is in in Kamiyubetsu, Yubetsu town located in the northern part of Kitami city, and is well-known as 2 major places famous for tulips together with Takino Suzuran Hillside National Government Park (滝野すずらん公園), and the Kamiyubetsu Tulip Fair (かみゆうべつチューリップフェア) is famous as one of 3 major Okhotsk Spring Festivals together with Higashimokoto Moss Pink Feastival (東藻琴芝桜祭) and Fairy Tale village Takinoue Moss Pink Festival (童話村たきのうえ芝ざくらまつり). The park surrounded by fields is developed as a flower field along Oketo National Route (National Route 242). It is the origin of the Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park that Mr. Terunori Nishikawa (西川照憲) planted a tulip, and described here as old people's farm in 1957. About 200 kinds of 1.2 million tulips are planted on the site of 700,000 m2 at present. I think that visitors must be very impressed by colorful tulip lines on the flatland. Admission is charged, but a parking lot is free of charge. Except the Kamiyubetsu Tulip Fair season, admission free. Article is here