The scale of Hokkaido is truly impressive! Higashimokoto Shibazakura Park

In mid-May, the vast hill is covered with pink flowers, and the pink torii gate (Photo 1) is particularly famous.

I went there for the first time in 2022, but the flowers were damaged by the drought and extreme heat of the previous summer, so the moss phlox bloomed sparsely.

So I went back in 2023 and this time I was able to see a perfect view!

As expected of Hokkaido, this is the first time I've seen such a large-scale moss phlox park! I was impressed.

The stairs below the pink torii gate are long and steep, so it's quite difficult if you hurry up (Photo 2).
It's not a straight road, and there are several places where you can deviate from the path along the way, so I decided to go for a bit (Photo 3).
It felt like I was walking along a moss phlox path in the forest, which was nice...and then I happened to encounter a wild rabbit! (Photo 4)
Photo 5 shows the view when you look back, and you can see the cow, the symbol of this park, in the upper right.

I climbed the stairs under the torii gate again (Photo 6).
There was still a long way to go to the top!

After somehow climbing the stairs, I found Yamatsumi Shrine (Photo 7).
Right next to the shrine is a great spot where you can see the whole of Shibazakura Park (Photo 8).

The promenade continues to the edge of the park from there, so I decided to walk to the cow mark (Photo 9).
As I walked, I noticed how the yellow dandelion flowers were a beautiful accent (Photo 10), and how some parts looked a bit like a heart shape (Photo 11), and I reached a point that was probably around the cow mark (Photo 12).
I was so close that I couldn't even tell where the cow was, but the sight of the wide hill covered in a pink carpet was spectacular.

#DomesticTrip