Shihondo Park

There are very few days of Sakura left. In fact, they may be gone by the time this post posts.

On the road to Nagasaki, there is a decent size park that we had been to once before called Shihondo Park. The last time we were there, there were many Marigolds in bloom... now the hill is alive with Sakura and Tulips!

There is a small playground and a campground on the back side of this hill.

Sarayama Park 皿山

I believe this is the park someone commented on a few posts ago.... Thank you!!! It's called Sarayama Park and it's in Saza right off 204. If you drive back just a little bit, you'll find a big parking lot. Once you park, you can either follow the hordes of children pulling their parents by the hand, or follow the signs to Family Land.

This rollerslide is more bark than bite... at first. Several of the spots have rollers that just don't move. It's very slow going... until you hit the section in the picture above!

As you can see, the park is quite expansive. My vantage point for this photo is from the top of an obstacle course across the way. There is also an outdoor theater, plenty of trails, gardens, and another playground for toddlers.

When we went, the Sakura trees provided a beautiful tunnel over the lower part of the rollerslide. It was a little hard to enjoy the beauty at mach-4.

Grab a pad to make your sliding experience oh so much more comfortable.

That's the toddler park. There were families playing catch and badminton when we were there.

Senryu Waterfall

If you happen to be in Emukae, you'll likely see signs for Senryu Waterfall. Follow the signs, it's worth it! Above is the larger waterfall that requires a 210 meter hike uphill to reach.

In this picture, the waterfall is to my right.

Halfway up the hike.

The lower falls are impressive too.

Drying out...

...the seaweed that is.

Huis ten Bosch from yet another angle.

Waterfront property.

Peaceful morning.

Nonokawa Dam.. now I get it!

The Sakura really make this park beautiful! The last time we were here, it was kind of.... there. Now, it's waking up and there were plenty of people enjoying picnics here.
Japanese schools are on break now, so all of the parks have a lot more life to them!

Nonokawa Dam Park is in Hasami.

Huis ten Bosch Tulip Festival

The Tulip Festival is going on until April 11th at Huis ten Bosch. It was a nice day, so we decided to drop in.

Saikaibashi Sakura

I was told that Saikaibashi Park was the place to go for Sakura viewing this weekend.

Apparently everyone had heard that! We had stop and go traffic to get there, but it was well worth the trip.

Reserving their spot.

I posted pictures from Ueno in Tokyo last year.