Every year at the end of March, when most people go to see the cherry blossoms in Tokyo, Nara, Daiyo, and other places, I watch the cherry blossoms at small stations in the countryside of Kyushu, one stop at a time
The slow car stops, carries the cherry blossom buds, and a petal floats on the camera; The express roared by, rolling up cherry blossom snow; There are very few people, and it seems that they have cherry blossoms from all over the world.
Of course, there is a reason to be realistic: with the cherry blossoms in full bloom and the tinkling colored trains, you won the Moments Spring Photo Contest one step earlier.
The first year I was in a hurry to take a train passing under the cherry blossom trees; In the second year, I was not in a hurry and began to slowly find special perspectives and positions; In the third year, I raised my camera even less, and finally knew how to appreciate the feelings, and inadvertently visited all the attractions along the route.
This spring can also be regarded as a soak, I can't go anywhere, so I have to look at the previous photos to have a dry addiction; In short, first sort out the various precautions of the shooting location and transportation mode in previous years; I think this is a very worthwhile route, and those who want to go next year can refer to it.
Matsuura Road: Uranosaki Station
The Matsuura Railway starts from Arita Station in Saga Prefecture and ends at Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, a 93-kilometer journey that is the kind of Japanese rural private railway you think of; However, the western end of Tahira Hira Toguchi Station is also the westernmost station in Japan, and many people will go there to check in.
Uranozaki Station is probably the most famous cherry blossom station in Kitakyushu, and it is also quite famous throughout Japan; There are more people who come here to take pictures; However, as long as you find the right time, you can still take photos with few people; But for tourists, transportation is a bit troublesome if they don't drive themselves
The closest airport to Uranozaki is Saga Airport, which now operates flights between Shanghai and Xi'an; If the time is right, you can go to the place to shoot in the afternoon of the day of arrival
The 9C8577 from Shanghai is scheduled to land in Saga at 11:40 Japan time on Saturdays and Mondays, and at 12:40 Japan time on Wednesdays, so the airport limousine bus time in front of the station in Saga City Station is 12:20 on Saturdays and 13:20 on Mondays/Wednesdays
On Monday/Wednesday, for example, after you get on the airport bus, you will arrive in front of Saga Station for about 55 minutes
Boring Saga Station
You have about 20 minutes to buy something to eat and drink at Saga Station, and then it's time to hop on the train and turn all the way!
So after you get off at Arita by JR, you have 7 minutes to transfer to the Matsuura Railway; Although the Matsuura Railway starts from Arita, it is one section from Arita to Imari, and another section from Imari to Arita, and you need to change trains in between
Imari Station
Western Kyushu, with its convenient location, has been closely associated with overseas since ancient times, especially in China; There is a seaside city nearby: Tangjin, a ferry port with China (Tang); And Imari and Arita are the first places in Japan to learn Chinese magnet kilns, and Arita and Imari are both famous kilns in Japan; Imari's Okawa Uchiyama Old Street, a well-known secret kiln (a place reserved for nobles and not known), is now a well-known sightseeing spot.
So if you look down on Imari's platform, you will find that the shiny ground is actually made of broken porcelain
The drive from Imari to Uranozaki is normally 20 minutes; In places like this where there are few people, you can see that everyone gets off the train during the cherry blossom season
Uranosaki's main attraction is "Cherry Blossom Station", and when the cherry blossoms are full, it is like a dream; In addition, this is just an ordinary station unguarded
Don't rush to take pictures when you get out of the car, at least stay here for two hours; To photograph this kind of cherry blossom station, there is a certain tacit understanding of this kind of thing, the camera seat is on a first-come, first-served basis, it may be found twenty minutes before the train comes, many people leave as soon as the camera stand swings, and when the train is about to come, I see a bunch of people coming back to take pictures; When you see that someone is already there, you can only set up a slot behind someone else; Don't get in front of someone else (unless you're determined to be far enough), and if you really want to shoot in front, it's best to talk to the first person to find a position that won't block his frame
If you want to shoot the train coming out from under the cherry blossoms, like the cherry blossom tunnel, you better find a telephoto lens above 210mm, if it is too bulky, a point-and-shoot camera with a zoom of more than 10x can also be used; Otherwise, a phone like the P30 with a 10x optical zoom is okay
Like this picture, I was taken at a focal length of about 250mm standing in the position of the previous picture.
There is also a tacit understanding to shoot the train: don't move after occupying the position, especially when the train is coming, don't suddenly feel that the position is not good to change, because everyone's angle picture is selected, even if there are many people taking pictures on the spot, the angle has been optimized; Like the one above, the half-popped person on the left suddenly leaned aside to take pictures when the train came; As a result, everyone scolded instantly; After all, there are only two photo opportunities in an hour
Uranozaki Station is located near the border between Saga and Nagasaki prefectures, with only two or three homes outside the platform, and a convenience store across the road across the road across the railway; During the cherry blossom season, nearby residents set up stalls next to the station to sell coffee and snacks.
Generally speaking, 7-8 days after the first cherry blossom blooms is "full bloom", but you see that the cherry blossom forecast says "full bloom", which actually refers to 80% bloom, full bloom + 2 days to fully bloom, but also the petals will start to fall, so you want to take the kind of photo of the train passing under the falling cherry blossoms, it is easier to take on the day of full bloom +2; Of course, that's just a matter of course! When the train came, there was a small gust of wind.
Most of the people who came here to take pictures gathered between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., after which the people quickly dispersed; If you're not in a hurry, you can take good photos with few people at 4:30 p.m. on a sunny day
There are many kinds of Yoshino cherry trees along the Matsuura Railway, which were planted when this railway line was built in the 30s of the last century; In addition to Uranozaki, there are many cherry blossoms on both sides of the Kuhara Station railway, and they are more provincial; Matsuura Railway sells one-day rolls, so you can buy them if you need them.
Unless you want to continue in the direction of Nishi-Sase-Fort and go back, I don't recommend staying in the boring city of Saga, it is best to find a hot spring hotel in Takeo Onsen, and if you have time in the evening, you can go to the Takeo Library, which has been very popular in recent years, to get a taste of literature and art, and the next day you can go to Mifunayama Land to enjoy the flowers
Takeo Library
From Saga west to Kurume, it connects to the Kudai Main Line (Kurume to Oita) that crosses the east and west of Kitakyushu, half of which runs in the mountains along the way, and there are several stations full of cherry blossoms; If you're coming from Fukuoka, you can also take Kurume and then transfer, or you can take the famous sightseeing train "Yufuin no Mori" directly from Fukuoka.
The essence of the Kuda Main Line is from Hita to Yufuin, with gorges, hot springs, rice terraces, old towns, and high mountains. From Hita, there are two cherry blossom stations nearby. The design of the Hita Station body is a black wooden body full of traditional elements, which is elegant and chic; Hita is the center of Kitakyushu, in addition to connecting Kyushu to the east; Go north to Fukuoka and south to Aso, and you will pass by Hita; It's also a worthwhile place to stay for two days.
You can see a pair of oversized geta in Hita Station, and because the local area used to be rich in cedar, there is a tradition of making high-grade clogs; The Hita Station Hall is not large, rich in wood fragrance, but there is an incomparably reassuring feeling; The light and darkness were just right, quiet like a library, many people were reading books in it, and I often sat in it to write homework
Hitahiko Sanmaro: Hojuyama Station
The Hitahikoyama Line connects Hida to the city of Kokura in Kitakyushu, and most of the stops on the way are small villages in the mountains, only passing by ordinary cars
Hojuzan Station is an unguarded station built just between Fukuoka and Oita Prefectures
The first time I went to Baozhu Mountain was on a drizzling day in the spring of 2016, and the photographers set up their seats forty minutes before the train arrived, and then they didn't know where to go; You see that all the camera focus positions are at the very end of the cherry blossom that, and the camera position; The one covered with a yellow towel was the first to set up the position, so later in front of him, the position was farther and farther away from the track, and they did not interfere with each other under the premise of traffic safety.
The colors of Baozhu Mountain are more colorful, white pink and purple cherry blossoms, golden rape flowers, and various unknown flowers, using the gradation and depth of these colors, there can be many changes in position
About one bus per hour passes back and forth, which is a train coming from the other direction; The train will definitely pass in front of you anyway, and you'd better find a spot where you can turn around and take another picture as soon as you pass by.
When I went to Mount Baozhu again in 2019, it was sunny, but there had been no trains passing through for several years, the cherry blossoms were still in full bloom, and the entire platform was buried in the smoke
It turned out to be the 2017 Kitakyushu flash flood, and part of the Hikoyama Line was washed away; Until now in 2020, it has not resumed driving; Now from Hita, I will take a bus to a station with a good line. I didn't see anyone taking pictures, just me, but I could feel the vibrant, spring color of the secret station.
Even though no train has passed through for two years, the station building at Baozhushan Station is still cleaned to the brid, and the flower arrangements on the platform are still fresh, just like the day the train was closed.
The abandoned Baozhushan Station is simply too suitable for outdoor shooting, and a stage of thousands of flowers has emerged in the brittle green mountains; After the civilized things are gone, they will naturally return to what they should be.
Kudai Motomaro: 丰后中川 Station
Bungo-Nakagawa, about 10 minutes east of Hita, is a small station in a valley, and you can see the characteristics of this station from the pattern on the plaque; In addition to cherry blossoms of various colors rendering each other, there are golden rape flowers, and there are some tulips
Passing by Bungo Nakagawa by train, only amazing; If you're on a fast train, look down at your phone, whistle and pass the station, you won't know that there is such a beautiful place
Bungo Nakagawa was originally an unguarded station, but after it became famous in recent years, every cherry blossom season, the railway company was not allowed to send people to control it on site; There are no fences on both sides of the railway, you can cross by yourself, but do not stop on the railway to take pictures; Five minutes before the train passes, there will be a warning sound, and after the prompt sounds, do not cross the railway to change seats.
Because it is located in the valley, the real sunshine time is only two hours at noon, and the rest of the time is mostly foggy; The mist echoes in the mountain valleys; When the train comes from the corner of the mountain, knock la la! Slowly slid down, everything was just right, photographed this one, in hindsight, there was an indescribable tranquility.
The cherry blossom trees in Bungo Nakagawa are staggered in various tall and low colors, and it is the kind of "explosive" bloom, presenting an amazing scenery that breaks the spring color palette, basically how to shoot and how to look good; But I still suggest that it would be better if I could use a telephoto
There is only one place where you can get this angle, and that is when you walk about 200 meters along the road from the station towards Hita and the railway starts to turn.
Probably people who love to photograph trains will first look at the map, there is such a bend; Anyway, you go to where someone is in that good position, and that's it
The green train that drove past is the famous "Yufuin no Mori"; Some people like to take pictures of special trains, so they have to calculate its passing time, for example, if you want to take pictures of Yufuin no Mori, you must first check what time it arrives at Hita, and the departure time +7 is the time it passes through Bungo Nakagawa.
Standing in this position to shoot, you must use at least 200mm or more focal length, but if you hold it too heavy, your hands may shake and you need a tripod; But there are too many things to bring with you this way, if you don't ask for so professional; I think it's better to shoot with a melon camera with at least 10x zoom.
Bungo Nakagawa is considered Oita Prefecture, and in the mountains, generally speaking, it is +4 days than Fukuoka Flowering Day and Saga +2 days; So to shoot these stations all the way, you still have to calculate the date of bloom
There are only eight buses a day from Hita to Bungo-Nakagawa, and there are no buses around 8 to 12 o'clock; So if you want to take pictures of cherry blossoms, it is best to go to Mount Hoju in the morning, come back at noon to have a meal in front of Hita Station, and go to Bungo Nakagawa in the afternoon; 12:33 Hita departure 16:08 Come back, the day is over
If you have enough time, and people are loose enough and don't care much about the itinerary, you may be like me, sitting on a slow train, standing and stopping, and suddenly find some bright scenery, amazing small station, hurriedly pick up your luggage and jump off the car, your face is green after feeling excited, because the next train takes hours to come.
BORING PEOPLE LIKE ME, LOOKING AT GOOGLE MAPS, THE NAMES OF INCONSPICUOUS SMALL STATIONS ON THE RAILWAY LINE ARE QUITE THOUGHTFUL, AND THEIR THOUGHTS MAY DRIFT TO SOME DEEP MOUNTAIN BRANCH RAILWAY IN THE DEPTHS OF THE CLOUDS WITH THE NAME OF THE STATION
TAKE THESE SMALL STATION NAMES YOU WILL PASS BY, GOOGLE ONE BY ONE, THERE WILL DEFINITELY BE A VIEW NEAR THE STATION, OR THE NAME OF THIS RAILWAY LINE + SAKURA STATION AS A KEYWORD, THE SEARCH RESULTS, EVERY TIME IS BEWITCHING YOU, GO AHEAD! You will only pass by once in your life, and the popular saying is to walk by and don't miss it
The next stop in Bungo Nakagawa, Tennose, is a hot spring town with only one street, so you can check it out if you have time
There are many such pools by the riverbed, which are proper open-air hot springs, but they are the kind that are completely soaked, but don't worry too much, there are no people on the road anyway
There is also a small hot spring pool in front of the station, so if you are a man, you can go in and take a dip while waiting for the train
Seeing the two words "mixed bath" above made my heart jump
When I arrived at the pool, I saw a few uncles soaking over there... Once 100 yuan to invest their own money, when there is only one uncle left, I asked him, can I let me take a picture, but I didn't expect that the uncle was not taboo, OKOK~~Big husband~ Also made an air hey hugh hey hugh "shoot it!" After all, I am still a very reserved boy, so I had to take a picture while my uncle turned around to do sports, and everyone experienced what an open-air hot spring is
The mixed bath that I was secretly looking forward to did not appear, and when I finished soaking and dressed to leave, I saw an old woman with a hunched back slowly walking down, smiling and greeting me kindly.... Huh.... I think I am still a polite and polite cultural person .... It's rude, don't look at it~~
Hita is also a place worth staying for two days, and there are bicycle rentals at the tourist center in front of the station, which is convenient; 10 minutes by bike to the north is the old town of Douda Town, not too big or small, just suitable for a leisurely stroll,
This is the "Tenru" (municipality) of the shogunate period, now known as Little Kyoto, shuttling freely between commercial streets, ancient shops, museums, folk art shops, and old coffee shops, turning several alleys, and suddenly crossing small bridges, turbulent streams flowing between residential areas; Walking along the waterside alleys to the end, there are rows of facades, as if each family is more beautiful and colorful than who planted flowers, but still retains the unique Japanese restrained.
In an ordinary town like Hida, cherry blossom trees are planted haphazardly and scattered, and the petals on the road serve as clues that always lead you to a blooming cherry blossom tree, "Wow! It's beautiful! "Alone, under a separate cherry blossom tree, more peaceful than a group of cherry blossoms, full of tourists.
Also ten minutes to the south of the station, the vast and clear Mikuma River; Residents sit in pairs on the park grounds to enjoy cherry blossoms; Walking by the river, you will feel that you do not follow the crowds to popular places to see cherry blossoms, such as walking on the street next to your house with flowers blooming and falling, more like real life.
Kudaimotomaro: Kitayamada
After two stops, Tennose will be able to see the Aso Volcano in the distance. Kitayamada Station is also an unmanned station, and the wooden two-story small house is very cute.
There are very few people taking photos in Kitayamada, and most of the people who like to photograph trains drive by themselves, optimistic about the timetable, and the train arrives at the scene 20 minutes before it passes; Other than that, there was no one in the entire station; If you often go to the countryside of Japan, you know the quiet feeling of not making any sound at all
Non-train time, this is a very good location for outside shooting
This station doubles as the tourist center of the area, and on the second floor there are many historical photos of the place and handicrafts made by children; You can overlook the nearby small waterfall
Kitayamada is also only stopped by slow trains, basically this kind of small station is parked with local residents commuting to school, so there are no cars between 8 am and 1 pm; So if you're traveling from Hita, go in the direction of Yufuin; Choose a sunny time to take pictures, you can only take the bus at 12:33, arrive at 13:03, and leave at 14:43; There are two express buses passing back and forth during this period.
The track of this station is a few steps higher than the station, so you can also find some interesting photo angles
The next stop in Kitayamada, Toyogomori, is more famous, and there is a fan-shaped nose garage that is quite rare in Japan, attracting many tourists to visit the customs; Toyogo-mori is also the only station nearby with express trains, such as Yufuin no Mori and Kyushu Shichihoshi trains often meet here.
Kuda Main Line: Minami Yubu
Tourists who take the Kuda Main Line will basically get off at Yufuin, after all, Yufuin is a well-known sightseeing spot, and although there are many tourists, it is still worth stopping for a day to see everywhere
Yufuin is unique among Japan's many hot spring areas, and is a small town with a European style of houses along the street; For many years in a row, it has been voted as the favorite hot spring for single women to travel alone.
If you are staying in Yufuin to see the cherry blossoms, the first recommendation is of course the Oita Riverside; The golden canola flowers always bloom at the same time as the pink rows of cherry blossoms, one high and one bottom.
The section between Yufuin and the next station, Minami Yufu, is a classic angle for many train shooting enthusiasts, this curve can be photographed between trains and Yubuyue; It's about 3 kilometers from the city of Yufuin, so it's best to borrow a bike to ride there.
But there are fewer people taking photos in Minami Yubu, and if you want to photograph trains, cherry blossoms, and Yufugake at the same time, Minami Yufu Station is a good place; The first time I went there was cloudy, and I didn't see Yufugaku
It is only one stop away from the crowded Yufuin Temple, but Minami Yubu is a quiet and fresh unmanned station, it is a sunny afternoon after rain, the sun breaks through the sky, the grass is shiny and dazzling, and the spring field has a moist negative ion atmosphere
As the train is about to pass, the sound of "Dangdangdang" descending from the level crossing sounds in the quiet fields, which is the scenery of life in the Japanese countryside
Minami Yubu is an unmanned station, but the small waiting room is extremely warm, with comics, handicrafts made by local residents themselves, and dolls that should be clipped by the doll machine
Then again, Yufuin is a well-planned sightseeing city; Many people don't know whether this place is called "Yufuin" or "Yufuin"; The place where the station was originally located was called "Yufuin", but in order to promote tourism, Yuhei Onsen, a more famous hot spring town nearby, was merged and collectively called Yufuin; As a result, Yufuin has now become a fashionable hot spring sightseeing town, but Yuhei does not take advantage of anything, and is considered to be an old-school hot spring town where old people go, and there are fewer and fewer tourists; But on the other hand, Yuhira is only two stops away from Yufuin, and the price of accommodation is much cheaper than Yufuin.
Yuhei Onsen is famous for its stone slopes
If you are in Yufuin, you should be able to take an hour and a half to take pictures here, and you will definitely be able to take cherry blossom photos that are different from others
The essence of the Kudai Main Line ends with Minami Yubu, and the scenery outside the window from Yufuin to Oita is quite boring; There are not many tourists to Oita, and most of them will arrange a two-day, one-night trip to Yufuin, and then take a bus across the mountain to Beppu Onsen next door
Beppu Onsen
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