Near the Unzen hot spring resort (20 minutes by car, 14km), there is another hot spring Obama faced toward Tachibana bay. This city is as same name as US president Barack Hussein Obama, therefore they supported Obama at the presidential election. I can find the statue of Obama at the main street. (He is smiling!) This hot spring is very old, and ran in “Hizen Fudoki” (the records of the culture and geography of Hizen province) in 713. They have the hottest springs in Japan, with the 30 springs producing over 15,000 tons of water per day that can reach temperatures as high as 105°C. In the park, there is the 105 meter long foot spa “Asiyu” which is the longest “Asiyu” in Japan. I tried, it is very hot and fairly comfortable to see the blue ocean in front of it. After that, I took photos of jacaranda. My friend who lives in LA usually told that jacaranda is as purple cherry blossoms, so I wanted to watch these blossoms and got some young plants. Although this tree is native to tropical and subtropical regions, Tokyo is too cold to grow them, and my jacarandas have not blossomed for five years. This Obama planted jacaranda 30 years ago. Now this city has been holding the jacaranda festival during June. I guess its temperature is warmer than Tokyo, and they have hot springs, and its soil may be warmer than other areas, so jacaranda can blossom this city.
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- Under the Tachibana bay, there is magma reservoir.
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- Tachibana bay, Nagasai prefecture
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- Obama city faces Tachibana bay. They can fish Sardines, mackerel and conger eel.
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- Jacaranda blossoms
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- The longest footbath in Japan. You can walk or sit down at the edge.
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- Footbath for pets (dogs and cats)
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- Hot spring water at footbath
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- Free boiling furnace by using hot spring. People in this city come to boil vegetables or eggs in it.
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- Boiled vegetables and eggs
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- Picture of sunset at bank of Tachibana bay. It is a famous poet Mokichi Saito’s poem of expressing his moving for gorgeous sunset.
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- Many kinds of ishes at Tachibana bay
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- Jacaranda
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- Jacaranda blossms. This tree is about 5 meter height.
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- Jacaranda blossoms
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- Jacaranda festival character
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- Jacaranda
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- Jacaranda street
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- Jacaranda
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- Jacaranda street and Tachibana bay
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- There are many palm trees at Obama, too.
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- Statue of preist Kobo daishi, Kukai. He visited Obama in 790, and stabed the land by his stick to spring from the hole, because there was no well in the town.
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- Obama’s bank. People enjoy fising at the bank.
Beautiful and educational. Love the foot baths and the boiling furnace.
I hope to take a footbath with my cat. The guide said they changes the temperature for people and pet, and dogs love this footbath.
Gorgeous and I love the foot bath for pets!
My whole body made hot soon when I took this footbath. I think it is good for the body, what’s more it is free.
The foot baths sound so wonderful and in such a beautiful setting.