Picking Poppies and Daffodils in January

MAR061

Just after sunrise, all five of us hoped into Aki’s dad’s car, and we went for a drive to the seaside town of Chikura, on the other side of Tokyo Bay, in Chiba Prefecture. Instead of making the lengthy drive around the bay, we took the Tokyo Bay Aqualine through the bay. The Tokyo Bay Aqualine is a highway consisting of a 5 km long highway over a bridge that spans a third of the bay, and then plunges into a tunnel, to a depth of 60 metres below sea level, which allow cars to cover the remaining 10 kilometre distance, by driving through the water of Tokyo Bay.

Part of the town consists of a narrow strip of flower orchards, sandwiched between a chain of mountains, and the Pacific Ocean. For about three dollars, the owners of the orchards give you a basket and pair of shears, and will let you cut 30 to 40 of their flowers to take home with you. As you we stood with our backs to the mountains, there was a stunning 180 degree view of surf flying over a Technicolor horizon of flowers. Once we had filled our baskets with daffodils and poppies, we went to a nearby restaurant for a bowl full of fresh, local seafood over rice.

It was a really fun day trip and our house is filled with the beautiful sights and smells of freshly cut flowers.