Exploring Kumamoto, Japan

June 21st, summer solstice. While walking around the neighborhood in the evening, I found some Japanese Flowering Dogwood. Going further, the Iseri River became like a dam lake. Location:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/89HgwbV5Edo47pXt6 This dam lake was created by blocking the water with a special sheet. It must be under a lot of water pressure, but it's amazing how it can withstand it. The reservoir on the Iseri River must have been for rice planting. I think it is used as a reservoir to circulate water to the rice fields. In Kumamoto city, the summer solstice is the time for rice planting. Today, you can see beautiful Japanese rural scenery within Kumamoto city. The next two photos show the rice paddies I found last September, just after the rice was planted. You can see what this rice paddies looked like last September from this link .

JR trains cross the Iseri River, which runs through Kumamoto City, Japan, twice. The following video shows the train crossing the first of these bridges.   Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/yBevYusfFMNTepx26 Green rice fields spread out beside the railroad tracks.  Even though it is autumn, the green spreading rice fields are a strange sight. The rice fields have been harvested for some time now. During this time, new ears were growing from the rice stumps. Rice fields covered with rice growing from stumps are said to be called “hitsuji-da” in Japanese. "Hitsuji-da" is a haiku term for autumn. The rice fields, which were golden in autumn, turn all green as late autumn approaches.  It is almost as if the season has returned to early summer.