Vivacious Floral Venues in Miyazaki(February, 2009 )

　暦の上では立春を迎え、暖かい日が増えてきました。春になると花々が開花し、美しい風景で私たちを楽しませてくれます。今回は、県内の花の名所についてご紹介します。

 Once spring has come, you will most likely see people enjoying “Cherry Blossom Viewing”- or Hanami - in various locales. “Cherry Blossom Viewing” involves appreciating the bloom of the cherry blossoms and Japanese plums, and it is a quite popular spring leisure activity in Japan.

 Sakura (Cheery Blossom), the Japanese national flower, bloom in shades of white, rose-pink and dark-red, and they engage many people’s hearts and minds every year. Cherry Blossoms bloom from mid-March through mid-April. Nighttime illuminations and spring festivals coincide with this floral season, so we recommend contacting your local tourism department/association for more information.

・  Tarumizu Park （Miyazaki City）                                              Tel:0985-41-1111

・  Hisamine Sougou Park （Sadowara Town, Miyazaki City）          Tel:0985-73-2782

・  Mochio Park （Miyakonojo City）                 Tel:0986-23-2460

・  Shiroyama Park （Nobeoka City）                 Tel:0982-34-7833

・  Chikukouen (Nichinan City)                        Tel:0987-31-0606

・  Saitobaru Park （Saito City）                        Tel:0983-41-1557

・  Hanatate Park （Kitagou Town）                   Tel:0987-55-2111 

・  Hokedake Park （Kunitomi Town）               Tel:0985-78-1943

・  Maizuru Park （Takanabe Town）                  Tel:0983-26-2015  etc.

 The annual Flower Festival, “Flower Festa 2009,” will be held at ten locations within Miyazaki Prefecture. The main venue of “Kodomo no Kuni” in Aoshima, Miyazaki City, will sport eighty varieties of some eight-hundred-thousand flowers. Stop by the festival and enjoy the spring season!

Date: March 14^th (Sat) to May 10^th (Sun); Time: 9 am to 5 pm

Admission Fee： Adults 800yen; Children （4 years-old to Junior High School Students） 400yen

 Furthermore, Miyazaki offers botanical gardens and other floral hot spots where you can enjoy the varying flowers of the seasons.

・  Florante Miyazaki (Miyazaki City)： Adults 300yen; Children 150yen （Primary and Junior High School Students）　9 am to 5 pm　*“Spring Floral Festival” is held from March 14^th (Sat) to May 31^st (Sat).

・  Aoshima Subtropical Botanical Garden (Miyazaki City)： Admission free; 8:30 am to 5 pm

・  Nobeoka Botanical Park (Nobeoka City)： Admission free; 8:30 am to 5 pm　

・  Miyazaki Prefecture Agricultural Station, Subtropical Crop Branch (Nango Town)： Admission free; 10 am to 5 pm

・  Japanese Irises ・・・Shimin no Mori （Miyazaki City）   ： Late May to Early June

・  Field Mustard  ・・・Ikoma Plateau （Kobayashi City）    ： Late March to Mid April　

・  Iceland Poppy  ・・・Ikoma Plateau （Kobayashi City）    ： Mid April to Late May

・  Azaleas           ・・・Shiibae Park （Mimata Town）        ： Mid April to Late April