🐦 Through Ieyasu’s Birthplace: A 7km Ptarmigan Art Trail in Okazaki’s Higashi Park 🐦
Okazaki City in Aichi Prefecture is famous as the birthplace of the first Tokugawa Shogun. This 7km GPS art course invites you to explore the city’s eastern “Green Heart” while sketching the form of a Ptarmigan (Raicho). The journey begins at Okazaki City Higashi Park, a sprawling sanctuary featuring three scenic reservoirs and the beloved Higashi Park Zoo. This zoo is uniquely popular for being free to enter and hosting life-sized dinosaur monuments alongside its animal residents.
The route guides you through the serene Flower Iris Garden, which transforms into a purple paradise during early summer. As you trace the silhouette of the bird, the path leaves the park’s tranquility and enters the energetic neighborhood surrounding the Lopia Okazaki Inter store. The gentle undulations of the local terrain add a physical dimension that mirrors the rugged spirit of the alpine bird.
The Ptarmigan is a sacred bird, a relic of the Ice Age that naturally inhabits peaks above 2,400 meters. Drawing this mountain icon in the mild climate of Okazaki is a creative irony that makes GPS art so engaging. This 7km loop is an ideal distance for a morning jog or a leisurely weekend stroll with friends.
To conclude your artistic expedition, a visit to the Super Public Bath Furoya nearby is highly recommended. Soaking in the warm medicinal waters after completing your 7km masterpiece provides a perfect sense of closure and relaxation. By the time the digital Ptarmigan appears on your screen, you will have experienced a wonderful blend of Okazaki’s natural beauty and its welcoming local vibe. Lace up your shoes and take flight in the home of the Shogun!
DETAIL (EXTERNAL LINK)
A PIONEER IN GPS ART.
1st work was authorized by Guinness World Records as “the Largest GPS Drawing”.
He is the only Japanese person to be featured in a Google documentary as an innovator. He is fascinated by the idea of drawing with GPS and has published more than 2,500 works.
