My wife and I started gardening in Fukuoka (Japan) in 2003. There was nothing but muddy clayey sloping land. At the beginning we made several structure such as steps and paths, and planted turf, fruit trees, roses, herbs etc.
In 2010, we visited several famous English gardens, including Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Mottisfont Abbey Garden and Hidcote Manor Garden. We were shocked by the glory of those gardens. Since then, we have been trying to make small but glorious gardens by ourselves.
After four days of rain since flowering, the weather has been fine for the first time in a long time and the wild cherry tree is in full bloom. The slightly pinkish wild cherry blossoms look beautiful against the blue sky. For the next few days, the wild cherry will be the star of the garden and will glow.
When we visited Saikai Bridge on the outskirts of Sasebo City last summer, we saw a line of three tall towers in the distance from the observatory, which the information board said was the transmitting station.
We visited the Hario Transmitting Station on our way to Huis Ten Bosch this time.
Hario Transmitting Station seen from the Saikai Bridge Observatory (last summer) 西海橋展望台からみた針尾送信所(昨年夏)
The Hario Transmitting Station was a communications facility built by the former Imperial Japanese Navy between 1918 and 1922. The Russo-Japanese War made it necessary to strengthen the radio communication system, and it was built at a total cost of 1.55 million yen (about 25 billion yen today). The three radio towers on the site are made of reinforced concrete and have a chimney-like structure with a height of 136 metres and a base diameter of 12 metres.
In the centre of the radio towers, which are arranged in an equilateral triangle measuring 300 metres on each side, a reinforced concrete communications and power generation facility called the Transmission Room was also constructed.
Recent research has shown that, along with the historical background of the construction of this facility, it is also highly regarded in terms of civil engineering and radio technology, and has been designated as an important cultural asset as a heritage of modernisation that symbolises Japan's technological development.
We took our first ride on the three-storey merry-go-round, which was built in Huis Ten Bosch in December 2022.
There was a queue for each floor, the first floor could be ridden quickly, but the third floor had a lot of queuing.
As we climbed the stairs, we could see better around us and took a ride on a horse-drawn carriage. It was like a dream as it slowly started to go round.
We visited Huis Ten Bosch in spring. It was a cold day with a strong cold wind, although the weather was fine.
The park is full of tulips. The flowers are in full bloom in a variety of vivid colours. The yellow is particularly bright and cheerful.
Walking through the park full of tulips, I felt that spring was in full swing. The roses are also starting to bud and I am looking forward to seeing them in May.
Suddenly the plums have blossomed all at once due to the warm weather. With so many flowers in bloom, the garden is springing up at once. Will they bear many fruits this year? I am looking forward to June. My wife has artificially pollinated the plums in the hope of a good harvest.