If there’s one thing I’m stoked about this year, it’s the fact that I get to skip Australia’s winter and jump right into spring. What’s not to love? It’s warm but not too hot out, the flowers are blooming, and I got to take full advantage of Golden Week. In case you didn’t already know, Golden Week refers to a bunch of public holidays that are clustered together here in Japan. During this period literally everyone’s on the move, so you should really avoid travelling if you can! However, I couldn’t stay still and decided to make the most of my week off.
To kick off my break I visited Hitachi Seaside Park (国営ひたち海浜公園), which has apparently gotten quite famous recently. It’s not hard to see why though! The endless carpet of flowers looks like something straight out of a fairytale. In particular, the blue nemophila were the highlight this season, and they didn’t disappoint. It’s not all about the flowers, though. The park is so big it could probably form a suburb on it’s own. In addition to the rolling hills, it even has it’s own train and amusement park. One day definitely wasn’t enough to see it all!
The hills look relatively empty in this shot, but don’t be fooled. My friend and I waited ages before we got a decent photo with no people in the background! Or at least, as close to ‘no people’ as you could get with the sheer size of the crowds that day.
If you thought I was wearing a skirt, then think again! They’re actually culottes, which are pretty popular in Japan at the moment. While it’s a bit different to my usual style, the functionality of pants combined with the swishiness of a skirt has me sold.
Naturally we couldn’t leave without getting soft serves from one of the countless vendors in the park. There was even a nemophila flavoured option, but given my previous experience with floral ice cream I decided to give it a miss! Anyway, chances are this won’t be the last time I visit. The park’s main attraction changes with the seasons, so I have that to look forward to in the coming months.
Now that my break’s well and truly over, homework’s been taking over my life again. However, I can promise that the next few posts will be about my Golden Week adventures in Tokyo. I know that my family loves checking up on my blog from time to time (hi mum!) so I’ll definitely try to get that up as soon as possible. Until next time!
