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 .

The amount of water in the rice paddies in the Kumamoto region of Japan is abundant. Autumn. The time for rice harvest is nearing. I went for a walk and came upon a rice paddy. In the days when rice was taxed, there are stories of farmers hiding their rice fields to avoid the tax. I thought this place might have been such a hidden rice field in the past. To my surprise, I saw what looked like a house in the bushes. It looks like a hideout in a fairy tale. From a distance, it looked like an empty house, but upon closer inspection, there was a car. I was even more surprised. It was amazing to find such scenery so close to the city. Wandering around is a continuous discovery of new things.