Two hundred and forty-five swans are coming back again to the lake called Tatara-numa in Gunma Prefecture. Watching swans and ducks perhaps make you peace and happy.
One of the best places to see the sunset is located near my home town, Tatebayashi city in Gunma. It is called Tatara-numa, now it becomes the place to see 245 beautiful swans. The swans are coming from Siberia,an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia,and staying during winter. They are super TOURIST that fly 3,000㎞by themselves to Japan.
Tatara-numa is the north of Tokyo, one hour and half from Asakusa, Tokyo by a rapid train “Ryomogo” on the Tobu Isesaki line. The area of the swamp is Gunma Prefecture Park, 83 hectares, 7 kilometers round. We can walk around in the nice and quiet park around the lake. There is a public toilet, and the sign of the toilet is also a swan picture. I like it very much.
About 30 members have supported to take care of migratory birds. A man I attached is one of the members of the volunteer group for feeding swans. He lives near the lake, and he takes care of swans for several years. When he talks about swans, his eyes are gentle. I understand how much he loves swans. He says, “Swans and ducks are very smart because they know the time to get food two times in a day without a clock.” with a big smile. Around 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. He feeds some bread and wheat. “Swans are very polite and dedicate,” he added. At the feeding time, swans swam in a straight line toward him and waited for finishing ducks meal time. The elegant creatures have never eaten greedily. I should follow these SWANS how they behave. They have a good leader in their groups when they move to the different places to take a rest.
There are also about 1,000 ducks from Siberia in Tatara-numa. Usually, one duck family consists of one male duck and 30 female ducks, he says. A big group of duck is quacking at dinner time. It was so fun.
Why don’t you come and watch hundreds of swans and thousands of ducks on the lake? I am sure you will enjoy the nature of Tatara-numa. Just one advice for you. It is better to wear walking shoes and bring a lunch box there to enjoy more.
And also, if you are good at drawing, it has a painting contest of swans. “Swan Festival” is held on the 4th Sunday in January every year. Some free local foods are served on that day. Next weekend, I will be an early bird to watch the swans in the sunrise.
