Exploring Kumamoto, Japan

We heard that the nemophila flowers were in full bloom, so we headed to Kuju Flower Park on May 12th. Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Eg5nUT3TT1KdtBzH8 Many kinds of flowers were blooming all over the spacious garden. We went to see the nemophila flowers, but what impressed us the most were the Livingstone daisy fields. We also went to this park on April 11th during cherry blossom season. The following photo was taken then, and just a month ago the Livingstone daisies were still lush and green in the seedlings. Photo  2025/4/11 We were amazed to see how it had transformed into a beautiful flower garden in just one month. The nemophila was just about to reach full bloom. The sight of the nemophila flowers swaying in the wind was wonderful. At that time, I learned for the first time that there was a white nemophila. We celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary in May. It was a good opportunity to take a photo in a field of nemophila. We went on a weekday, but it was still very crowd...

The other day, I had the opportunity to see the dawn scenery at Senomoto Plateau (920m above sea level), so I took some photos. Shortly before 6:00 a.m. on April 11, 2025, a contrail drew a straight line in the blue sky. The act of drawing lines on empty space seems to express "challenges to new things" and "hopes for the future." It's a simple scene, but it's one of my favorite scenes. Location:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/UvgXn2UZo17xXpRS8 If you look slightly to the side, you can see the Aso mountains in front of the swing at Senomoto Kogen Hotel. Sunrise on the plateau around 6:20am. The Aso mountains are illuminated by the morning sun. The side lighting shades the mountainside, creating a unique appearance. This photo of the Aso mountains was taken from the Kuju Kogen Observatory along the road, about 5km from Senomoto Kogen Hotel. This photo was taken around 9:30 a.m. The sky was cloudy. Location:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/Bx1r8HkCGGE4oXhL8

In early November, We went to Aso to see the autumn leaves. Our destination was Oguni Town, Aso County in Japan. There was no sign of autumn leaves as we entered the mountains, and we had given up on seeing them for a while. On the way to Kamitsue-cho, Oita Prefecture, we were able to see the autumn leaves on some trees. Location:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/NMF1M4L8yZUBA6Wm7 As we drove away we noticed a waterfall nearby. we had heard the name “Nabegataki Fall” a lot. Location： https://maps.app.goo.gl/NMF1M4L8yZUBA6Wm7 Nabegataki Fall is a rare waterfall where visitors can walk behind the falls.  However, it was a bit chilly around the falls in November when we visited. WeI gave up trying to walk behind the waterfall to get to the other side while splashing in the water. Location:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/fSCeQmeRHyARaVpa6 Our next stop was the large ginkgo tree in Shimojo. Every year at this time we go out to see this ginkgo tree. The ginkgo tree is said to be over 1,...