Soccer in Morinosato Shougakko

I already shown you a soccer game in the Morinosato Elementary school. Now my kid is entering the "pre-class", a training for kids who are still in Kindergarten which happen to be the same time. This a voluntary class, totally free of charge with a basic promise to enter the club when the kids enter the school.
I got the whole soccer, I should say football player set. Socks, shoes, shirt and pants... I though it would be fun to get an official French shirt but this is crazy expensive, even for kids! Actually, I was well inspired. At least, I got an official Adidas ball with French colors, last week so it was discount!! hehehe.

We park the car behind the school. This is kind of scary when it is empty.

Summer taste

A preview of Morinosato's summer. Please feel the fresh air, the sunny sky from the pictures. It will end soon... As the shots are about 2 weeks old, it may be already too late. The wet, hot and cloudy weather is over my head.

Entrance to the Wakamiya Park

Wakamiya Park 37th Midori Festival

This 2010 edition was held on the 24th and 25th of April (sat&sun). The main events were for my kids the Kamen Rider Double Show on the first day and the Sentai Goseiger show and mini-SL riding on the second day. A little surprise with a song collaboration between the "famous" singer SHIRAI Takako (1959~) and the kids from Morinosato Shogakko. They sang an orginal song for mother nature.

Opening Speech


Koinobori are still really impressive

with Shirai Takako

Kamen Rider Double

Unfortunatly the Mini-SL was broken.
My kids got to ride it on a temporary working window.
There is an electric version that works with no problem

more infos Atsugi-city HP
36th Midori Festival

Sakura a Wakamiya

Plus en retard que moi sur cette blogosphere, il n'y a surement pas. Je partage avec vous donc, quelques photos vieilles de plusieurs semaines. Les Sakura version 2010. Question photo, rien n'a vraiment evolue depuis 2009. La seconde etape est de le vivre pour apprecier au mieux. Pas besoin d'etre au Japon pour en profiter.

La difference est qu'il y en a beaucoup et on sent les gens rejouis par cette explosion de fleurs.

behind the tennis court

Snow on Wakamiya

Brrrrr freezing morning. Few hours after, nothing left.

Wakamiya sous surveillance video

On est loin de toute polemique securitaire. Pas de politique aujourd'hui. Si on installe des cameras, tout du moins, une camera, c'est pour a voir un oeil sur le plan d'eau. Ce n'est pas qu'il fasse vraiment peur, tout petit qu'il est. Cependant, regardez bien. Le bas du parc forme une cuvette, la route un barrage. Tout a ete fait volontairement, un bassin de retention en cas de fortes precipitations. Je ne vous apprend rien. Je vous en avais deja parle. Tout est sous controle. Encore plus avec ce nouvel oeil.

Winter Wakamiya Panoramic

A function on my new ketai. An extremely easy (but low quality) panoramic function. The sun is low and too strong for my lens sensibility but the colors are kind of like that, really saturated. Winter weather is the best.

Ginkgo Biloba

De Aki

The road going up to Wakamiya-Aoyama (the place with all the companies/university) is lined with many Ginkgo. Bad picture but good enough to have an image. Bright trees all along but when they get naked it makes a yellow carpet on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, they shorten the trees last year.
But I will just repeat myself, I really love Japan's fall.

Momiji

If you have a little interest in Japan, you must know few things such as Momiji. The maple trees are turning into crazy vivid colors. With a bright blue sky, it creates an awesome contrast. Around the Wakamiya park, the colors are really nice. There are already the illuminations over the pond but I think it is a bit too early. It makes difficult to really appreciate the trees with all those cables.

Aki

Morinosato Koinobori Festival

Again, back to the Golden Week. Begining of May was held the Koinobori Matsuri in the Wakamiya Park. I did not go. I was in Yokohama at that time to "enjoy" the parade and the spider show. I found on the Morinosato 4chome community homepage a video that show the event.

36th Atsugi Green Festival

The 36th Atsugi Green Festival was held this week end. Saturday was a extremely rainy day. Even so, the event was not canceled and hearing from the nurserymen/gardeners, many people came... not me. Anyway I wanted to go there on Sunday because of the Shinkenger show. Remember the Iiyama Sakura festival. Same heroes but a different company, so different gags but as enjoyable for kids, especially when they can shake hands.

Right before the show, and 3 other times in the day, the kind of Atsugi Green Association was offering some flowers. 4 kinds so 4 long queues which started 30 min before the distribution, 1 plant per person. Some local shops were also providing different kind of goods, food and advices for your garden or bonsai. Of course you can find the basic set of every matsuri : okonomiyaki, takoyaki, yakisoba, choco-banana... shops. Even the proximity of Sanwa Supermarket does not make prices lower. There were also various kind of flowers and trees that we could purchase directly.

The Wakamiya park has a Steam Locomotive on display as you know now. There is also a long track for a mini-SL but I never seen anything running on it since I am here. That was a good opportunity to try both steam and electric type of mini train. We could guess that a local association of passionnate people are taking care of this. It was free to ride the trains and free to take a look inside the huge steam machine.

The event is few days before the こどもの日 (child's day on may 5th) and we hook on fabric carps as a symbol of strength and courage (it was the former boy's day against the girl's ひなまつり on march 3rd). The Wakamiya park has a huge row of carps floating in the middle of the pond. Impressive.

Wakamiya Midori Festival

36th Atsugi Green Festival

April 25 (sat) ~ April 26 (sun) from 10am to 4pm


第３６回厚木市緑のまつり(36kai Atsugi Midori no Matsuri) will be held in the Morinosato's Wakamiya Park. Different activities and performances will be held during the week end such as classic Rakugo (26th 1pm), Harmonica concert, dance and the indefatigable Shinkenger show (26th 11am & 2:15pm).

Kids (and parents) will be able to ride a Mini Steam Locomotive on the dedicated track, in front of the displayed D51 SL, west of the park (26th only)

More detailed infos on Atsugi Kankou HP (jp)

Wakamiya Park

Le parc Wakamiya est un peu le coeur de Morinosato. Je l'apprecie car accessible et pratique, mais aussi par sa diversite.

Accessible car il y a beaucoup moins de denivele que le parc Nanasawa. On accede de suite au parc depuis le parking alors que Nanasawa demande quelques longues minutes de marche avant de pouvoir se poser. C'est mieux car beaucoup plus baby-car-friendly. Il jouxte les residences ce qui en fait un lieu prise pour les marches sportives, joggings, ballades en famille et pour la crotte de kiki. L'avantage, c'est que les japonais sont propres a ce niveau.

Pratique car a sa limite nord, se trouve le petit complexe commercial et de services de Morinosato (Sanwa Supermarket, Yokohama Bank, Post office...). J'aime y pique-niquer et faire les courses apres la ballade digestive. Le meme rythme que lorsqu'on se retrouve enferme dans un Mall... mais a l'air et sans depenser en futilites.

Diversifie car outre son terrain vague propice aux jeux de balles et pique-niques pres du Sanwa et du parking, la partie haute propose une petite scene qui sert de base a de petit evenements communautaires tel que la "Morinosato Christmas Party". Une autre petite partie amenagee avec casacade permet de poser ses fesses pour un gouter au calme.
La partie centrale renferme une partie boisee et un minuscule voire ridicule jardin des plantes. On y voit une pagode tres chinoise. Je chercherai un jour l'origine d'une telle batisse ici.

Il y a aussi un jardin de Ume, abricotiers qui sont en ce moment en fin de floraison. Tres beau. Au bout de ce jardin, une locomotive a vapeur en exposition. La aussi, je me demande ce que fait une telle machine si loin de tout chemin de fer. En tout cas, de petits rails forment un long parcours autour de la locomotive et doivent accueillir une mini-loco l'ete.

La partie meridioniale est quand on regarde bien un bassin de retention en cas d'averses exceptionnelles. Soit, rarement tel evenement se produit donc les pentes gazonnees sont ouvertes. Elles forment d'impressionnant toboggans pour les courageux qui viennent avec le bout de carton a mettre sous les fesses.

Wakamiya Park