"Wake Wisteria" Wake by Rabbityama

Wake is a small town that most people have never heard of, but I really enjoyed my time there.

It's most famous for its Wisteria Park which blooms in late April/early May. Wisteria is so beautiful, and it's nice because the town's website tracks the progress of the wisteria so that you can time your visit to go when they are in full bloom which is what I did. Some varieties do bloom earlier than others, because these wisteria come from all over the country and even other parts of the world.

The town is also known for its crane sanctuary, located at the Nature Preservation Center. There are not many crane sanctuaries in the country, so it's an interesting place to see these famous Japanese birds and if you come at the right time of year, you can see crane chicks!

Yet another great experience in Wake is the Katatetsu Roman Kaido cycling trail. The cycling path runs from south to north through Wake town (most of the path is within Wake but it actually starts in Bizen and after going through Wake travels through a small part of Akaiwa and ends in Misaki town). The path is actually the old Katakami Rail Line that was converted into a cycling path after it was officially closed in 1991. The mountains along the path are so beautiful and parts of the old railway have been preserved so you can see some former stations, railway signs, etc. along with other sites scattered around the trail.

Wake also has some shrines and temples and the Wake Wamojiyaki Festival where they burn the character for "Wa" (meaning "peace" and used as the "Wa" in "Wake") in the mountain overlooking the town.