MENARD Aoyama herb garden where flowers of sage are in full bloom

A herb garden in southern MENARD Aoyama in Iga-shi, Mie is introduced this time.
A car is convenient and access is about 2 hours through a freeway from Osaka and Nagoya.
When staying at a hotel, a free shuttle bus in MENARD Aoyama comes from Kintetsu train: Igakambe station or Sakakibaraonsenguchi station to receive.


There are a hotel with hot springs, a sports facility, an experience department and aesthetics in a vast site in MENARD Aoyama in addition to the herb garden.

I hold a car at a parking lot in front of the herb garden and enter.


An admission fee in a herb garden is : \500 outside : \1000 and the festival period during a festival period, and the hotel guest is free. Even 11/25 is open from the end of April to the end of November, and open this year.
A sage festival is being held in bloom time of the sage now.


Sage calls the Japanese name YAKUYOUSARUBIA by a herbaceous perennial of mint family or an evergreen shrub, and is company's plant of a salvia.
Salvia, Mexican sage, pineapple sage, lavender sage, Bok sage and rose leaf sage are in bloom.
The wonderful scenery like the colorful carpets of purple, light-blue, pink, yellow at a herb garden are seen.



A symbol tower is in the park, and the beautiful whole picture in a herb garden can be looked around from an observatory on the 3rd floor.

Lavender is famous in this herb garden, and time of the autumn, replanting of lavender and soil improvement are performed. More than 10 people are working in the lavender field.


It's possible to observe vegetable in autumn of whole sage and garden carefully because time of the sage in autumn isn't time when lavender is crowded.

There are a cafe where herbal tea can be tasted and a gift shop of lavender in a building at the garden entrance.


When tasting herbal tea by a cafe and looking at a garden, it's possible to spend luxurious time.

When staying at a hotel Schonvert, you can see a light up at night (year-round implementation) from a restaurant.


Herb garden festival of an ordinary year
From whole 5/, in the 6/ Chamomile festival
From whole 6/, in the 7/ Lavender festival
From whole 7/, the end of 7/ Lily festival
From the first 10/, under the 11/ Sage festival

See beautiful flowers in high plain by a herb garden and let me refresh a mind and body, please.

Dream Suspension Bridge and the Maple festival of Sumata Canyon of autumn leaves

I would like to inform a journey to enjoy the suspension bridge, the Maple festival, autumn leaves, hot springs at Sumata Canyon in Shizuoka prefecture.


The autumn leaves of the Sumata Canyon is the best time to see from 10/end to 11/medium.
First take the Oigawa Railway from JR Tokaido Line Kanaya station.
Oigawa Tetsudo is a railroad that runs SL.
SL is one round trip a day, but if you are lucky you can see the SL.

Get off at Senzu station.

Take the Oigawa Train Bus going Sumata Canyon Hotspring, after 40 minutes riding, arrive at Sumata Canyon Hotspring bus stop.
This canyon has 16 km length in the Sumata River upstream of the Oigawa River.
I go to the Dream suspension bridge from Sumata Canyon Hotspring, on the Sumata Canyon Promenade course.
After Tenshi tunnel, look down on the right side, you can see the Dream suspension bridge far away.



The leaves of the canyon and the cobalt blue of the lake are colorful.
The cobalt blue of the lake is due to the wavelength of light, and it becomes blue as beautiful as a fine day.
From here I go down steep stairs to the lower bound lake.


I arrived at Dream suspension bridge in about 40 minutes from the start of the Sumata Canyon Promenade course.

Dream suspension bridge is a suspension bridge with a length of 90 meters and a height of 8 meters on Ooma dam lake.
In the dream suspension bridge, you can see the beautiful cobalt blue lake surface clearly visible, enjoy superb views and thrills.
The number of people who can cross at a time is limited to 10 people, and the excursion season etc. may be a one-way street.

This suspension bridge is a simple making just by arranging two boards and it shakes well.
You can see the lake from the feet and the swing will increase as you go to the middle of the bridge.
The middle of this bridge is a power spot that can be fulfilled if you make a wish about love.
The place where the board is made into three is the place of the place of wishes.

After crossing the bridge, we will head to “Ozaki Saka Observation Deck”.
It will rise by the stairs of a narrow aisle. Because the stairs are steep and long, the people who are not confident in physical strength stop going to the Ozaki Saka Observation Deck and return the bridge.
After you climb this steps you will find Ozaki Saka Observation Deck ahead.

From the observation deck you can see the dimensions of the valley.

Next, I head for Hiryu Bridge.

Hiryu Bridge is an arch-shaped iron bridge with a height of 100 meters across the Sumata Canyon. In the past, a forest railroad tram was going through this bridge.

The view of the valley from the bridge, the dream suspension bridge is wonderful.


It will be back to Sumata canyon hot spring in about two hours from the start of the Sumata Canyon Promenade course.

Returning to Sumata canyon hot spring, the hot spring famous as "Beauty-making Hot water" is characterized by "Toned Hot water" to make the skin smooth.
It seems to have efficacy for skin diseases, joints, neuralgia, etc.

For day trips, there is a town operated outdoor bath.



Sumata canyon hot spring has the Maple Festival that will be held on Saturday night of October 27 (19: 30-21: 00).
At this festival, Tengu and Yamabushi walk through the hot spring town,

and entertainers make a rhythmic sound using "Akashi Taiko",

Hand-made fireworks will be showed.


Visiting the fallen Sumata Canyon, enjoy the Dream suspension bridge, the Maple festival, autumn leaves, hot spring.
That’s it.