Nanakita Koen 03

Three more deceased snow persons. We have not really had any snow since this fell but the forecast is for a storm tomorrow during the night. That figures since I have to start work the next morning and I leave home at 6:45.

This is the bridge that marks the west end of the park. It is almost two kilometers from my apartment. You can just see a mountain through the clouds. It is called Izumigadake and is big enough to have a ski slope on it. Ian and I climbed most of the way up it one time. We planned to go back again and go to the top, but never got around to it. The white structure on the right is the top of a dome in a sports park. It is used for school and amateur sports. The dome can be opened during the summer. Also they have, on occasion, had concerts by famous Japanese pop groups in the dome as well. The sports park is quite big with the dome, a couple of soccer pitches, tennis courts as well as various buildings. Beyond the park, Vegalta, the Sendai pro soccer team, has their headquarters and practice areas.
The high point of Nanakita Koen has a gazebo-like structure. There is a paved path that winds up the hillside and some stone seats. During the spring and summer you frequently can see pairs of high school lovers having some private time on the seats. One day during the summer I walked up that path and was surprised by a very large snake. I gave it the right of way and did not try to follow it.
Most of the walking paths within the park look like this. It is a very pleasant place to go for some exercise, especially now that I can follow the riverside all the way to the entrance. If I walk from home to the east entrance to the park, walk around the inside, and then leave by the north entrance and to go Starbucks for coffee, I walk a little more than five kilometers by the time I get home. It is very nice when the weather is good.