About my city, Numazu
Hi everyone! This post will be about my city, Numazu.
In my previous post, I introduced myself and my passion for community design. If you haven’t had a read of it yet, please check it out!
This will be a brief exploration of the city. I do not want to provide you with a chunk of boring information. I want to make it like an actual experience as if you are visiting Numazu.
First I will start with the location. It is located within Shizuoka prefecture, which is the one shaded in green below.
It’s easy to remember that Shizuoka prefecture is the one that is shaped like a goldfish!
Now, if we zoom into Shizuoka prefecture, we see that Numazu city is located on the Eastern side.
It faces Suruga Bay, which is actually the deepest bay in Japan. Very interesting, but more on that in a future post!
Numazu city can be separated into 10 districts. I want to show you around each district so that you get an idea of what this city is like and its atmosphere. In this post, let’s go through the first 5 districts.
- First, Second district — Sengen Shrine
This shrine is actually right next to my apartment! A shrine next to an apartment? Some people might think that shrines and temples are located on a quiet street or a very rural area, but that is not always the case. This shrine faces a major road and many cars pass by.
I come here on January 1st for the first shrine visit of the New Year, which is a Japanese tradition called Hatsumode. I pray for my family’s health, academic success, etc. Also if I want to, I can buy a good luck charm and a fortune-telling strip called Omikuji.
2. Third, Fourth district — Mt. Kanuki
Mt. Kanuki is much smaller than Mt. Fuji. It is only 193m high, so you can climb up to the top in less than an hour. Still, the view from the top is very fascinating. You can take a general view of Numazu city. I would recommend this place if you would like a nice little hiking trip.
Depending on the season you visit, you can enjoy different sceneries. In the Spring, the cherry blossoms bloom, and in the Fall like in the above photo, the leaves turn red, orange, and yellow. Also, those two seasons are neither too hot nor too cold.
3. Fifth district — Plaza Verde
What do you think this place is? It is the rooftop of an event venue! This building has rooms of various sizes where people can hold events and meetings. In addition to that, there is a cafe, a free studying area, and this rooftop for relaxing.
You might wonder why this is important. Currently, Numazu is working very hard to create a lively community and wants a lot of people to hold events that citizens can participate in, of course under COVID-19 measures. This is one of the most convenient places for events because it is right next to the station.
4. Hara, Ukishima district — Ukishima Himawari Land
“Himawari” is sunflowers in Japanese. This field is full of sunflowers! It is estimated to have 20,000. But it wasn’t formed naturally. It was intentionally created with the aim to make good use of abandoned agricultural land and improve the cityscape. It’s always interesting to learn the history of places.
Many people visit with their children during summer vacation or take their dogs out for a walk. Perhaps you would be able to take astonishing pictures that make you want to post on Instagram.
5. Katahama, Imazawa, Ashitaka district — Ashitaka park
This is a popular park in Numazu. It has several facilities: a baseball field, a tennis court, a walking course, and an adventure course, so perfect for getting some exercise by playing a sport or jogging/walking. Some people bring their lunches and have picnics!
A lot of schools pick this park to hold games, so even students from my district gather here to compete against other schools’ sports club teams. Some of my friends have played in tennis matches.
That was a quick look at 5 out of 10 districts in Numazu city, and I hope you are already able to see that Numazu is not only filled with nature but also has traditional sites such as shrines, and aims to create a community that is lively and athletic. In my next post, I will show you around the rest of the districts.
Thank you for reading and I hope you learned something new!