The flower kingdom where Thumbelina and her friends live
- わたなべもも
- May 1
- 4 min read
5:00 AM.
I was allowed into a deserted flower field.
The crisp, cold air of the plateau.
The flowers are still asleep, so I walk softly in the dark so as not to wake them.
Point your camera east and wait for the sunrise.
All I can hear is the sound of my own breathing.
No...I feel like I can even hear the flowers' soft breathing.
Now, this world is just me and the flowers.
Suddenly, a bird chirps, "Let's start today!"
As if receiving a signal, the birds began to move around restlessly, and the deep blue sky turned orange.
It's dawn.
The color of the sky changed every second in beautiful gradations, and endless tulip fields appeared on the previously pitch black earth.
This is Serakogen Farm, celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. It is one of Japan's largest flower hills, with 750,000 tulips covering a vast area at an altitude of 500m. Among them, there is a flower painting made entirely of colorful tulips, the design of which changes every year. I wonder how many tens of thousands of flowers are used to make it. "We want to amaze visitors," says the farmer, who plants each bulb by hand according to the design. An incredible amount of time and effort has been poured into it.
The land of flowers that Thumbelina finally reaches on her swallow ride... If there really is a land of flowers, I think it might be something like this. With so many tulips, it wouldn't be surprising if there were one or two flower fairies hiding there. "Where is Thumbelina...?" I peered through the viewfinder, feeling a presence, and then I found her! I came across a cute flower that made me think that Thumbelina must be among them.
Tulips are not limited to the primary colors of red, white, and yellow. There are over 300 varieties that can be seen here, with a truly diverse range of shapes and colors. Even though the flower fields are so vast, they are always well-maintained. Tulip bulbs are planted carefully and steadily from October, sleep under a blanket of snow in the winter, and finally bloom in the spring. The beauty of the flower colors is exceptional, and is said to be created by the temperature difference between morning and evening and during the day. This is the special freshness that can only be found in flowers on the plateau.
One of the problems when photographing flowers is the man-made objects around them. For example, in parks, vending machines and fences tend to appear in the photo. However, this flower field is full of photogenic spots, such as benches and parasols, buildings with cute roofs, and windmills, all of which you'll want to include in your photos. There are also no ropes to protect the flowers, which is a deliberate decision. This means that everyone is free to take photos among the flowers. However, this does not mean that it is okay to trample on the flowers. They have not put up any ropes because they believe that the flowers will be well looked after.
5:00 PM.
As the sun sets, the light takes on a soft orange hue.
The flower kingdom where Thumbelina and her friends live is also quietly preparing to welcome the night.
I hope that those who noticed Thumbelina and those who didn't will be able to visit this place again. I hope that this place will continue to be a wonderful land of flowers.
Momo Watanabe (flower photography, lyrics, storytelling)
He made his debut as a songwriter while still working at a kindergarten, and retired the following year. He began writing children's songs and stories. He then met photographer Marubayashi Masanori and learned flower photography. He carries a camera instead of a flower basket, and instead of picking flowers, he fills the camera with them. With the theme of "Wonderland behind the lens," he is currently running "Story*Photo," which utilizes his unique sensibility in workshops and creates works based on stories. He is a lecturer at SONY Alpha Academy and head of PHOTO*MOMOTTO. He is the captain of the flower photography Momogumi. His CD and photo poetry collection "gradation" are currently on sale.
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nabewatamomo/
Blog Watamomocho ( fc2.com )
To apply for "gradation" click here → https://forms.gle/FE8pJeknqPd6dcdZA
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