Here, I’d like to introduce this amazing place called “浮島(Ukishima)” in 嘉島町(Kashima-machi, means Kashima town).
Ukishima is a pond and famous for the clear spring water which generates 150,000 tons a day.
There is a shrine called 浮島熊野坐神社(Ukishima Kumamomasu jinja, means Ukishima Kumanomasu Shrine) which worships two grand Gods who are believed as the first husband and wife, who created Japan.
(I’ll show you Ukishima Kumamomasu Shrine in the next article!)
Photo credit : Chieko @untappedkumamoto
Ukishima Pond, Ukishima Kumanomasu shrine and the surroundings are affectionally called “浮島さん(Ukishima-san)” by locals.
“浮(uki)” means floating and “島(shima)” stands for island.
Ukishima Kumanomasu Shrine is not on the island but on the peninsula. From some point, the shrine looks like on an island. That’s why this place is called “Ukishima”.
Source : https://messeid.exblog.jp/3713007/
The water is soft and its temperature is 18℃ throughout a year.
You’ll notice how the water is clean and clear. It was noted one of the best 100 waters in Japan.
Photo credit : Chieko @untappedkumamoto
You’ll enjoy various wild life of forest and water.
Also there are many water birds, such as little grebes, river kingfishers, ducks etc.
Photo credit : Chieko @untappedkumamoto
You’ll feel relaxed walking around the pond at any season.
The local volunteer groups regularly do trash pick-up and weeding activities.
We see how people live closer to Ukishima-san and try to protect the beautiful nature.
My friends and I visited there in the middle of January and I’ll show you how it was.
Contents
Ukishima(浮島) in Kashima-town Kumamoto
Amazing Sunrise at 浮島(Ukishima Pond).
When you visit Ukishima, sunrise is the must-see. If it’s very cold and no(or less) wind, you can see morning fog.
It was our first time to visit there.
As we turned the last corner to go to Ukishima Pond, it suddenly got deeply foggy and I was so scared to drive forward.
Photo credit : Chieko @untappedkumamoto
We arrived there around 6:30 and I already could see the lights of the cameras.
The place was completely shrouded in deep fog. I was so excited because I hadn’t seen anything like that before.
Can you see how thick the fog is?
Photo credit : Chieko @untappedkumamoto
I asked one man holding his camera if we could always see that much fog.
He said we were very lucky to see that much of fog and it happens only few times a year.
Photo credit : Chieko @untappedkumamoto
As we closed to Ukishima Pond, we saw many photographers preparing their cameras and tripods.
Photo credit : Chieko @untappedkumamoto
I noticed that most of them were elderly people and talked to one of them.
One lady said that they belong to the photography club and came to practice.
How active they are!
My Indian friends often tell me that elderly people in Japan are so active and lively. One of the reasons must be they have good friends who can share good time together.
Photo credit : Chieko @untappedkumamoto
I looked up the time of sunrise in advance. It was 7:30 and everyone was waiting for the moment.
The sun looked like almost there but didn’t show up even after 7:40.
We were making jokes like the sun is lazy to get up and would like to continue morning sweet sleep for another 10 minutes!
Still, the scenery was so beautiful and peaceful.
I thought I could be there for a long time just sitting on the bench and witnessing the changes of the color of the sky(It’d be much better if it wasn’t that cold!).
Photo credit : Chieko @untappedkumamoto
After a while, the sun finally appeared and people got very excited.
Photo credit : Chieko @untappedkumamoto
We kept shooting photos one after another trying not to miss anything.
Photo credit : Chieko @untappedkumamoto
I was surprised to see how fast the sun rises once it starts to.
Some people changed their batteries and kept taking photos.
Photo credit : Chieko @untappedkumamoto
Ukishima pond, Ukishima Kumanomasu Shrine and Mt.Iida creates the perfect scenery.
Photo credit : Chieko @untappedkumamoto
The water is very clear so you see the clear reflection.
I was very happy to be there, watching this amazing sunrise.
Photo credit : Chieko @untappedkumamoto
It was very freezing but it was definitely worths it.
Actually, the moment was so blissful that I almost forget the cold.
Photo credit : Chieko @untappedkumamoto
Visit Ukishima(浮島) and enjoy the amazing sunrise!
Around the Ukishima pond, many kinds of birds and plants coexist.
Photo credit : Chieko @untappedkumamoto
Visit Ukishima, if possible in the early morning and enjoy that beautiful sunrise.
Relax and walk around this lovely place.
I’m sure that it’ll be an amazing experience!
Photo credit : Chieko @untappedkumamoto
※ Check the next article coming soon about 浮島熊野坐神社(Ukishima Kumanomasu Shrine)!
【Information and Links】
Official website of 浮島熊坐神社(Ukishima Kumanomasu Shrine)
4 ピンバック