Kameoka Cosmos

Yesterday, I went on an adventure to the (relatively) nearby city of Kameoka. I took a bus to the train to another bus in order to get to a five hectare garden brimming with over 8 million cosmos flowers. Yes, I meant 8 million!

In theory, there were twenty different varieties of cosmos in this field. I saw cosmos in fuschia, light pink, white, yellow, peach, orange, and several that were striped or blended between the aforementioned colors. Hana ga totemo kiree deshita. (The flowers were very pretty.) There were several crickets and frogs enjoying the sights as well. A few even jumped on me, presumably to get a better view!

Adding to the fun in the Cosmos Field were about 30 scarecrows that seemed to be part of some design contest. Among the recognizable figures was Stitch (from Lilo & Stitch), Captain Jack Sparrow (from Pirates of the Caribbean), Mario (from Nintendo games), Marie (the white kitten from Aristocats) and last but not least, Hello Kitty who was riding a wild boar. Seeing Kitty-chan on a boar is not so crazy though. According to the Chinese Animal Zodiac, 2007 is the year of the pig/boar.

As part of the admission fee, I was allowed to take a bouquet of freshly cut cosmos home with me. They now grace our living/dining/computer room in a magnificent vase made from an empty Coke Zero bottle. It's very beautiful and not being eaten by cats, which is something new for me!