Yodo River
The , also called the Seta River (瀬田川 ''Seta-gawa'') and the Uji River (宇治川 ''Uji-gawa'') at portions of its route, is the principal river in Osaka Prefecture on Honshu, Japan. The source of the river is Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefectur ...
, a tributary of the
Yahagi River
The is a river that flows from Nagano Prefecture's Kiso Mountains, Mount Ōkawairi, through Gifu Prefecture, and enters Mikawa Bay from Aichi Prefecture in Japan.Asuke Town,
Toyota City
, formerly known as Koromo, is a Cities of Japan, city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 426,162 and a population density of 464 people per km2. The total area was . It is located about 50 minutes from Nagoya ...
,
Aichi Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...
. Kōrankei has over 4000 maple trees said to have been planted in 1634. It sits next to
Aichi Kōgen Quasi-National Park
is a quasi-national park in the Tōkai region of Honshū in Japan. It is rated a protected landscape (category III) according to the IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in ...
, and is a popular tourist destination, famous for its autumn foliage and its
Erythronium japonicum
''Erythronium japonicum'', known as Asian fawn lily, Oriental fawn lily, Japanese fawn lily is a pink-flowered species trout lily, belonging to the Lily family and native to Japan, Korea, the Russian Far East (Sakhalin Island, Kuril Islands) a ...
flowers.
Background
In 1634, Kazuhisa Sanei, the 11th head priest of Kōjakuji Temple, is said to have planted maple and cedar trees in Asuke, on the approach from Yodogawa to Kasuji. Many maples have, since then, been planted by residents. It is said that 11 different types of maple trees have been planted at Korankei. A walking path has been built around the North side of the river valley. The Taigetsukyo bridge () was named the symbol of the river in 1953. After three changes, the bridge was finally settled on as a symbol in 2007.
In 1930, when the priest and hamlet mayor were asked by
Osaka Mainichi Shimbun
The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by
In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English-language news website called , and publishes a bilin ...
about the naming, the answer given was "From Iimori-yama hill comes a balmy breeze, going over the Tomoegawa, and through Seifu on the approach to Kozaku-ji. It brings a fragrant climax, called 'Korankei'."
The maple trees of Kōrankei change colors in autumn, and are normally in full bloom from mid-November to late-November. The Momiji Festival is held every November, with multiple ceremonies and parades. Shaping the river valley is the 254-meter tall Iimori-yama Mountain, with a 15-minute climb to the top. At the top is an observatory dedicated to
Operation Raleigh
Raleigh International is a youth expedition organisation based in the UK. Raleigh runs overseas Expeditions for young people to work together on community, environmental and conservation projects around the world. The young people who participat ...
(Japan phase) venturers in their visit to the town on May 15, 1987.
Transportation
Heavy traffic normally occurs on National Route 153 in the center of Asuke (for about 10 kilometers, according to Tokai TV program "Style Plus"). In March 2008, the Asuke Bypass started to be partially used to remedy traffic problems that started in 2007, so that cars would be able to bypass the center of Kōrankei to get to their destinations. Kōrankei is about a 65-minute drive via Meitetsu Bus from Higashi-Okazaki Station. Visitors from Kanto and Kansai can go via Route 153 from the
Tomei Expressway Tomei may refer to:
People with the surname Tomei, which is an Italian version of Thomas (surname), Thomas
*Bernardo Tomei (born 1933), Italian ice hockey player
*Carolyn Tomei (born 1936), Democratic politician from the US state of Oregon
*Concett ...
.
Gallery
File:Korankei2.jpg, Autumn Leaves in Kōrankei Gorge
File:Kōrankei2.jpg, Autumn leaves of Korankei
File:Kōrankei3.jpg, Autumn leaves of Korankei
File:Korankei3.jpg, Sanshu Asuke Yashiki
File:Korankei4.jpg, Kōjakuji Temple grounds
File:Kōjakuji Temple.jpg, Kōjakuji Temple
File:Kouran-Bridge in Toyota, Aichi.JPG, Koranashi Bridge
See also
*
List of canyons and gorges in Japan
This is the list of and in Japan sorted by regions of Japan, region.
Hokkaido
Tōhoku Aomori Prefecture
Iwate Prefecture
Miyagi Prefecture
Akita Prefecture
Yamagata Prefecture
Fukushima Prefecture
Kantō Ibaraki Prefecture
To ...