Kirk here recommending a visit to the Kashima area. If you’re not familiar with the location just drop 上益城郡嘉島町 into Google Maps to find it.
There are a lot of wheat fields there that give off a beatiful golden glow this time of year. Today I learned that there is even a special word in Japanese for the view: bakushuu (麦秋; wheat autumn). Of course, it’s May, not autumn but I think the idea is that the golden brown color is reminiscent of autumn.
The two images I’m posting are not mine but ones that I took from the following two websites:
https://kumamototeshigoto-labo.jp/feature_detail.php?page_no=2116 https://www.31wing.jp/blog/kizi/
I took a few photos with my iPhone, both of the wheat fields and of the pheasant we encountered, but these are much better than what I was able to take myself.
This was only my second time to see a pheasant (kiji) in the wild in Kumamoto. Here’s a Wikipedia page about the bird, which seems to be called a “green pheasant” in English:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_pheasant
As is the case in some human cultures, females are expected to be modest and only the males are allowed to strut their colorful stuff.
The pheasant was just hanging out near a wheat field. When I got out of our car to try to get a better view it started walking in the opposite direction but didn’t seem to be in any special hurry. Then it ducked into a wheat field to lose me. My wife and I sat in our car for a while admiring the view and speculating on the activities of our avian friend when he emerged from the wheat field, as if to say “You still here?” Apparently, it’s mating season now: “I’ve got a date, so, you know . . . "
We took the hint and went to Ukijima Shrine (浮島神社) for a nice walk. If you haven’t been there I’d recommend that you check it out.