July 9: Beppu horticultural research center
by Mie
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Beppu city of Oita prefecture boasts of its
top quantity of the welling hot spring in
Japan. There is a prefecture-run horticultural
research center using the spa heat. It is
located facing a sightseeing drive starting
from Beppu city, passing through Yufuin,
and ends at Aso volcanic park. We dropped
in the center on our way back to home from
the visit to Beppu high school. |
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The main building has a relief of the beautiful
flower on its wall. After filling the
visitors'
format, we looked around the center
which
was established in 1962 as an agriculture
research center featuring its use of
hot
spring heat for growing vegetables
and flowers.
In 1985, the floriculture center was
added
in order to promote the study and training
for floricultural production, distribution
of good seeds, and public display of
the
technology. The agriculture center
and the
floriculture center was combined into
one
in 1992 and renamed as Beppu horticultural
research center today. |
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A huge greenhouse is heated by hot spring
steam. |
 
The entrance of the greenhouse is decorated
with many planters of beautiful flowers (left.)
A close look taught me that every root is
equipped with a dripping pipe. This is the
same system as we saw last summer in Mr.
Don's home in Phoenix Arizona. |
 
A various kind of foliage plants such as
Pineapple guava, Caladium, and Anthurium
are growing healthy. A pineapple tree even
holds the fruits. |
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In the back of the greenhouse were many kinds
of rare cactuses. They are very tiny compared
with wild cactuses we saw in Arizona. |
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Hot spring source outside of the greenhouse
blast white steam high into the sky,
showing
the breathing of the earth. The depth
of
the well is 350 meters and the amount
of
the hot water (100 degrees C) this
well reaches
to 11 tons per hour, giving 23.8 million
Kcal an hour, equivalent to 6,566 liter
of
A-heavy oil. A big story, anyway. |
 
Outside of the greenhouse is a large
open
botanical garden covering 6,800 square
meters
and holding 376 kinds of plant with
1,334
species. Tall sequoia and ciders are
growing
high with each name on the tree base.
Thanks
to the name plates, it is very easy
to understand
the difference of the species. |
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Even tiny flowers in the flower bed have
their own name boards. Balloon flower is
in its best now. I would like to revisit
here in another season.
Oita prefectural horticultural research
center:
710-1 Tsurumi Beppu city, Oita prefecture,
Japan
Phone 0977-66-4706
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