🐦 Rural Charms and Sacred Steps: A 8km Ptarmigan Art in Fukuyama 🐦
Fukuyama City in eastern Hiroshima is a cultural anchor of the Bingo region. This 8km GPS art course invites you to sketch a Ptarmigan (Raicho), starting from the Takao Fukuyama Zoo (Fukuyama City Zoo). Tucked away in the peaceful Ashida district, this zoo serves as the perfect starting point for a journey through the region’s serene “Satoyama” landscape—a harmonious blend of rural life and forest nature.
The route navigates through the heart of Ashida’s pastoral beauty. You will traverse near the expansive Tomitani Sports Ground before visiting spiritual landmarks such as Ushitora Shrine and the tranquil Fukushoin Fukuden Temple. These sites reflect the deep-seated faith and quiet history of the local community. Along the way, the Ashida Wakuwaku Market offers a refreshing stop where you can enjoy local agricultural bounty. Geographically, the area features gentle slopes and winding paths characteristic of the Chugoku region’s foothills, providing an invigorating physical engagement.
The Ptarmigan is an alpine bird revered as a “Messenger of the Gods,” a relic of the Ice Age that thrives on Japan’s highest snowy peaks. Drawing this symbol of mountain majesty across the warm, inviting foothills of Fukuyama is a poetic tribute to the natural world. This 8km loop is a manageable and rewarding distance for walkers and runners alike. By the time the digital Ptarmigan appears on your smartphone screen, you will have woven together the threads of Fukuyama’s rural charm and its spiritual heritage. Lace up your shoes and take flight through the soulful heart of Ashida!
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.
