I went to the park called Ume-koji kouen near Kyoto central station. this park is very modern and full of recreational sport facilities. Back in august 2007 when I visited there on a study trip with a group landscape architect students we must have missed something, so we reported that it wasn't a very interesting park. What a mistake. Next time I went there in early spring 2011 I noticed many blooming ume-trees (related to apricot). The name of the park made more sense this time. I also noticed a small stream crossing the park containing so much life and diversity, of plants insects and birds. And some people were simply enjoying the scene like the moment when the cherry blossom trees are fully blooming, which is a very short period. I later heard it was man-made nature, a project developed by Kyoto university. When I got there again during the dry autumn in 2011 there wasn't much water in the stream and thus not so much wild life to observe. So early spring may be the best season to visit this park.
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| View of Mt. Fuji on the way back to Tokyo by Shinkansen |
