Spring Plants and Trees at NSTC
It’s a beautiful spring season, and the cherry blossom front has been moving northward earlier than usual, reaching Hokkaido by mid-April. I believe that the rush of the new fiscal year has settled down around many of you.
Since we introduced newcomers in the last issue, I would like to introduce two spring topics here at NSTC in Kyushu: flowers and trees.
The first topic is a garden bed at NSTC that has been introduced from time to time but has not been talked about at all recently. The garden bed was created when the center opened in 2011. At that time, azaleas were planted, but over time they became fewer and fewer, and the azalea in this photo is only one flower that survived, blooming again this year.
Additionally, I would like to introduce you tulips. 
I planted 20 tulips about five years ago, but only 3 of them have in bloom since I left them planted. Now the flower beds only have flowers in spring, but I hope that the flowers of the season will bloom in the future.
We all including flowers in bloom are looking forward to seeing you to join the training!
Secondly, for those who use Tobata Station to visit NSTC, there is a tree on the north exit of Tobata Station. The tree is called “Nanjamonja Tree”, and its official name is “Snow-flower Fringe-tree”, which is at its best from late April to mid-May. You will feel cooler when you look up the tree and take a breath of fresh air. Please have a try!
(Akira, Training Advisor)
