On this Year’s Spring Equinox, March 21st, a Japanese National Holiday, let’s escape the toxic concrete city to walk & explore peaceful Ichikawa, “The Garden City” & enjoy a friendly Hanami picnic!
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(Chiba-prefecture is one of Japan’s under-appreciated treasures!)
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We’ll stroll beside the wide Edogawa river in fragrant springtime & hike to the heights of Konodai, where the ruins of old Satomi Castle sleep beneath tall trees & mossy stones!
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I visited the park recently & saw fat flower buds forming on the cherry trees. Sakura will bloom early, so let’s enjoy the new blossoms before crowds descend on the parks!
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Enjoy hiking through fresh woods & nature areas to a shimmering *hyotan-shaped pond full of ducks, turtles & heron while chatting with friends at a picnic while enjoying the sweet, fresh country air. *,
(A hyotan is a magical Japanese sake gourd!)
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https://www.travel.smileandhappiness.net/ichikawa-birdwatching-english.html
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We’ll see fine gardens, quaint neighborhoods, beautiful old homes, farms, fountains, statues, stones, shrines & temples, possibly including cliff-top Guhoji-temple, (68 stone steps up from the surrounding area) which offers great views of the surrounding area, plus Tekona temple, named after a legendary Heian-period beauty, whose tragic story has been immortalized in many songs and poems!
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First, we’ll go to the Ichikawa I-link tower & enjoy a panoramic view of the whole area from the 45th floor view deck. From there one can see as far as Mt. Tsukuba, Fuji-san, Shinjuku, or distant Tateyama on a clear day!
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Plus, you’ll get an overview of where we’ll be going on our hike!
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We’ll hike where ancient Jomon, and Yayoi era peoples lived, hunted, fished, farmed & later, where Samurai of the rival Satomi and Hojo clans battled in the mid-16th century, “Sengoku Period”.
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Remnants & artifacts of the old castle may still be seen!
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(There are also several large ancient (2-5th century) Zempokoenfun-type Kofun burial mounds nearby, where Yayoi-period armor, swords, jewels, & treasure were found!)
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kofun
History is all around us in Ichikawa!
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On the way, we may pay our respects at the Konodai Tenmangu shrine, where 4 large rice-straw dragons have been woven, blessed with rice-wine & placed in the trees nearby to guard the area from disease & plagues, a festive local tradition for over 500 years!
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White, red or pink Ume (plum) or Sakura (cherry) trees will all be blooming before the full Hanami cherry-blossom season begins!
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The breeze might be cool, but hopefully the sun will shine, the hills and banks of the pond & river will be alive with animals & flowers, so let’s enjoy exploring together!
At Satomi-koen, then, beautiful Junsai-ike park, we’ll sit beneath blooming sakura and walk beside the beautiful, 500 meter pond, filled with many different kinds of gorgeous ducks & turtles.
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We’ll socialize while eating our lunch, and enjoy Ohanami, so please bring food, drink & wear comfortable shoes suitable for walking forest paths.
(You may also buy your lunch at a convenience store along the way.)
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I will bring a few picnic sheets, can some of you bring a small one also?
This walk offers many photo-opportunities, takes about 4 hours (depending on our pace) and is about 6 kilometers long, but don’t worry, we’ll take many breaks!
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PLEASE NOTE: There’s no set Meetup fee, but donations of ￥2000 or more are gratefully accepted!
(We will provide complementary Sake for those who might enjoy it!)
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This is a non-smoking meetup. If you smoke, please do so away from the group.
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Precautions against Covid19, like masks, hand-washing & reasonable distancing will be observed!
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Comments or suggestions for future meetups are quite welcome!
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Thanks, your organizer, Kerry D. 😎
Ichikawa Station
1-chōme-1-1 Ichikawa
Chiba, JP, 272-0034