My home town

 I will introduce my hometown, Kikuchi from 3 points.

 First are places. In Kikuchi, there are a lot of great place to see. One is the hot springs. In Kikuchi, there are some hot springs. It is not as wonderful as that of Kurokawa in Aso. However, it is comfortable and people can take a bath for only 300 to 500 yen. Whenever people come to Kikuchi, they can go to the hot springs. In spring, especially the term from the end of Mach to the early of April, many people come to Kikuchi to do hanami. Kikuchi has a park that is called Shiroyama koen. There is a lot of playground equipment and also a lot of cherry blossom. I think it is worth while to see the cherry blossoms here as well as to see those of Kumamoto castle. In early of June, many fireflies appear in the River Nikaki in Kyokushi. People are moved by the view. It’s also a very good place to have a date. In summer, a lot of visitors go to Kikuchi Valley. It is one of the most famous valleys in Japan. It is called a natural air conditioner because the place is so cool. A lot of creatures live here because the water is clear, and the atmosphere has no pollution. Visitors can take a walk around the valley with a guide who is familiar with the area. It takes around 30 to 60 minutes. Visitors can enjoy and relax seeing the beautiful view. On the other hand in the area in fall, the trees’ leaves turns red and yellow, so visitors can enjoy different views from that of summer.

The second is food. Kikuchi is famous for its prosperous agriculture. We have a famous food that is called Yakon. It looks like a lotus root, but it is crispier. People usually eat it with salad. In elementary and middle school, Yakon is served for lunch. Kikuchi is called as the biggest dairy area in the western Japan, but few people know about it. That’s why Kikuchi city made a leaflet written about ice cream we recommend. I want visitors to try the ice cream appearing on the leaflet. It tastes very milky. Rice is also famous. Shichizyo rice has got an award three times. Melon and Kyokushi beef are also great food in Kikuchi.

The last are events. In spring, the Doll’s Festival is held in Kikuchi. An interesting contest is also held in the festival. It is Ikemusya contest amd it is a cool samurai contest. Only men can enter the contest. It is a good opportunity to put on the old Japanese armor. In Japan we have summer festivals. However, each city celebrates the festival differently. In my city we have a festival called Hakuryu Matsuri, or in English, The White Dragon Festival. In the festival, people can see two white dragons carried by a lot of chivalrous man. It is from the legend of Hakuryu. About 1000 years ago, Hakuryu appeared from a pond in Kikuchi, and it was a sign of happiness. Visitors are surprised to by the Hakuryu portable shrine. It is so cool. There are more great festivals in Kikuchi that people can enjoy.

I want to introduce more about Kikuchi, so if you are interested in Kikuchi, please go to this page! →http://www.kikuchikanko.ne.jp/

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