Rose city Fukuyama
“Roses are beautiful. The hearts of those who love and raise roses are also beautiful.”– A City Developed Around Roses (Rose City Fukuyama). It all started in the Spring of 1956, when the residents planted about a thousand rose seedlings in the open areas of the park. The neighbors tended those seedlings day and night, and eventually a thousand bright red roses blossomed. Many people were touched by the enthusiasm of these residents, and in 1968 the park won the National Urban Beautification Prize for Excellence. A monument commemorating receipt of the prize stands in the park, inscribed with the words, “Here the flowers of goodwill open.” Resonating in the hearts of many, these words became the stimulus of the concept “A City Developed Around Roses.” Now it boasts roughly 400,000 rose plants around the city and it became the designated city flower.
Sky Duck
Sky Duck started its service in Tokyo on March this year. It can function equally well as a bus and a boat. The vehicle could also be used as a delivery car in case of emergency. The multitasking Duck can enter and exit waterways without a hitch, giving tourists a chance to zigzag Tokyo by both road and river in the same journey. Similar vehicles are already operating in some other areas of Japan, and they’ve proven to be a big hit!
Special Opening of Climbing season on Mt Fuji
July 1st is the day when Mt Fuji fomally opens for the climbing season. The start of the mountain-climbing season is known in japanese as “yamabiraki” which literally means “mountain-opening.” The ceremony to declare the official opening of Mt. Fuji climbing season is held at Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine and Murayama Sengen Jinja Shrine in Fujinomiya city, Shizuoka prefecture today. Today is a special 1st “yamabiraki” day since Mt Fuji received the World Heritage Status. Picture showed above was the headlights from climbers shine its way through level 8th of Mt Fuji & climbers that reached the peak at 4.36am today to view the sunrise with respect and “banzai” voices.
Congratulation Mt Fuji wins world heritage status
Mount Fuji, famous for its perfectly cone-shaped volcano, received World Heritage status. Congratulation!! The mountain is located at around 100 kilometres southwest of Tokyo and has last erupted around three centuries ago. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization committee, classified the site as a “cultural” heritage site, rather than a “natural” heritage site. Mount Fuji is the seventeenth Japanese site to be inscribed by UNESCO.
Kofukuji Temple
The Chinese-style main hall of Kofukuji, the earliest Chinese temple in Nagasaki. Nagasaki’s Western connection is only part of its story. However, it has been so emphasized that it often overshadows the influence of the Chinese. It is said that at its peak in the 17th century, the Chinese community counted nearly 10,000 residents, about one-sixth of the city’s population. Furthermore, records show that in 1688, nearly 200 Chinese vessels sailed into Nagasaki Bay: an extraordinary number compared with the handful of Dutch ships that arrived each year. You can start to explore the Chinese face of the city by visiting to Shinchi, one of Japan’s three great Chinatowns.