Firebush

Often listed as one of the most surreal places in the world, Hitachi Seaside Park is a must visit destination in Japan. The park is very popular in Ibaraki Prefecture just days before the peak of autumn. The red-colored firebushes / kochia flooding the park is a sight to behold especially to photo enthusiasts like me. One would want to stay there forever.

playground 

 there are times 

 when the world is without color 

go back to that one special place 

full of life, full of hues 

a perfect day

 from your memories 

 /totomai 

This was my fourth time visiting the said place and I have tried various means of travel. I even joined a photography bus tour before. But this time, since the park is approximately 150 km away from Chiba, we decided to rent a bus for convenience. And we were right. We need not chase the once-a-day bus trip from Tokyo Station to Hitachi Seaside Park. The entrance fee was waived during our trip, we were able to save 490 yen but as expected, the crowd was enormous. 

Aside from the kochia aka kokia in Japansese, there are other families of flowers carpeting the park. One of the popular one is the cosmos, complementing the reds of the kochia.

Two years ago, we joined a photography bus tour but a typhoon was brewing that day. The sky was gray and dull. I kept on hoping that for this trip, the sky will be clear. And it was granted. The clouds were even a show-off. I always wanted to capture the contrast between the blue skies and the red bushes.

The hill where the bushes grow is jam packed with sightseers. I can’t blame them since I also took hundreds of photos. Each one is finding his / her own spot free from people for a souvenir shot.

The place feels so cinematic. I enjoyed watching the bushes sway with the breeze and the grasses. It’s my definition of quite a perfect day.

As the sun began to set, we were reminded that it’s time to go home. Hopefully I can go back here this winter. Here are my previous posts about Hitachi Seaside Park (Spring, Summer, Autumn). 

Allow me to end this post with a quote and a photo (just because I love my smile here)

photo by Kid Perez / edited by Kuya Rad   

“Don't feel sorry for yourself. Only assholes do that." ― Haruki Murakami 

/totomai 

2016/10/27 

Photos taken with Nikon D7000, iphone 6s 

lenses used : 

               Nikkor 18-300 mm 

               Tamron 11-16 mm