A little hiking

We visited Mt. Tataishi, in Itoshima peninsula for an easy hiking. After the hiking, we found bamboo forest, and collected a few bamboo shoots. Haruka, a graduate student of mine, will cook them in our lab kitchen, after she remove its harsh taste by boiling them.

On a little street in Fukuoka-5

A small shrine, named Tsunashiki Ten-man-gu, in the Fukuoka downtown, Tsunaba-cho, Hakata ward. Though small, this has an ancient origin, even appearing in an old map of Fukuoka/Hakata area  as a major shrine of this city.

A chocolate shop close to this shrine is now very popular, attracting many ladies.

大きな地図で見る

Hiking to Mt. Tachibana

Mt. Tachibana (367 m) is located at the northeast of Fukuoka city, separating Fukuoka city and Shingu town. Because of its proximity and well-maintained climbing path, Mt. Tachibana is a very popular mountain for family hiking. Usually it takes 40 to 60 min to get its peak from Tachibana-guchi, a start point.
I enjoyed hiking there this afternoon with many voices (songs) of birds, especially those of the bush warblers (Uguisu, in Japanese). 
The movies below are to hear their voices and some sounds of small water stream.
The Fukuoka city view from the peak is quite nice, and today I was lucky enough to come across beautiful flowers of wisteria in the garden of a temple "Baigaku-ji" at the Tachibana-guchi starting point.

On a little street in Fukuoka-4

This morning I found poppy flowers on the street across the University campus. I like these little flowers with a pastel color.

In the night, I found a cherry blossom still blooming. This is probably a late-blooming strain, termed Yae-Zakura (meaning a cherry blossom with eight-layer petals) or a double flowering cherry tree.

On a little street in Fukuoka-3

A guardhouse at the (former) main gate of Hakozaki Campus, Kyushu Univ.

Maintained by a guard or two for 24 hours, this gate is now only for bicycles and pedestrians.

Cherry blossoms are falling.

Late March and early April are the season of cherry blossoms in Fukuoka (and many other places in Japan). In my University campus, the blossoms are already falling and the scattered on the path.
This year, I have just missed a chance of having a party under the cherry tree of full blossoms. It's bit pity.