【Spring Flower Series】 Awaji Hanasajiki and raped flowers

“Awaji Hanasajiki”(Awaji Flower Garden) is one of the best flower viewing sites in Hyogo. This garden is four times as large as the Hanshin Koshien Stadium or approximately 14.6 hectares with seasonally blooming flowers. Visitors can enjoy the panoramic view of more than 2.5 millions of charming flowers in bloom against the background of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge and the Osaka Bay.

“Hanana” or the raped flower is one of the most beautiful in spring. It starts to bloom in early March and is in full-blown in April. When it comes to the rape flower field, many Japanese are very familiar with the image of a landscape or a field covered with yellow raped flowers. Awaji Hanasajiki grows purple raped flowers as well as yellow ones. More than one million of both colors of raped flowers are planted in total. The carpet of both flowers together shows a lovely contrast of yellow and purple and it is really beautiful to view.

Carpet of raped flowers

Title: Kiyomori Chaya (CAFE Kiyomori), OPEN!

Last month, “Kiyomori Chaya (CAFÉ Kiyomori)” opened! The café is open on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays in four places: The temples Nofuku-ji, Shinko-ji and Yakusen-ji as well as Wada Shrine in Hyogo Ward, Kobe City. Each of these four places has a deep connection with Taira no Kiyomori (see the last three articles about Taira no Kiyomori).

Visitors can make themselves comfortable while enjoying the unique atmosphere of a typical Japanese Chaya (café).

At “Kiyomori Chaya (CAFÉ Kiyomori)” in Nofukuji-temple.

At “Kiyomori Chaya (CAFÉ Kiyomori)” in Nofukuji-temple.

“Taira no Kiyomori” the Historical Museum

The NHK drama, “Taira no Kiyomori,”has proven very popular in Japan since it was first aired.

We introduced “Taira no Kiyomori: the Drama Museum”, which opened on 21^st January, in our last issue. Another new exhibition pavilion, “Taira no Kiyomori: the Historical Museum,” opened on the same day in the same area. 

This historical museum is located near the Shinkawa Canal in Hyogo Ward, Kobe.

Once there was an old and historical port which was repaired and improved upon by Taira no Kiyomori. This port was called “Owada-no-Tomari.” The modern port of Kobe was developed on the foundations of what used to be “Owada-no-Tomari.”

Kiyomori used this old port as the base to establish and expand a trade relationship between Japan and the Sung dynasty of China. He is inseparable from this area when we think about the history of Japan.

“Taira no Kiyomori: the Historical Museum”