The Square des Poètes is a park located right next to the Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil in western Paris. It is dedicated to poetry, with busts of famous poets (Victor Hugo, Théophile Gautier, Alexander Pushkin…) and 48 plaques with French poetry.
Place de la Nation is a road circle on the eastern side of Paris. The square at its center includes a large bronze sculpture, the Triomphe de la République (Triumph of the Republic), by Jules Dalou.
Above, view of the statue from the west. The statue looks towards Place de la Bastille.
Jardin du Monument aux Mères Françaises (Park of the Monument to French Mothers) is a small park in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, right next to Parc Kellerman. The monument was designed by Paul Bigot and built in 1938 under the Popular Front.
Miffy is a famous cartoon bunny created by Dutch artist Dick Bruna in 1955, which makes 2015 her 60th birthday. To celebrate, there are Miffy-centered events in the Netherlands and in Japan all year-round. One of the events is the Miffy Art Parade: 60 artists were given a Miffy-shaped white statue to customize. Some of the statues are now exhibited on Museumplein in Amsterdam.
While I was in the Ome area, I went to see the azalea festival at Shiofune Kannon-ji Temple (塩船観音寺). The temple is surrounded by a huge azalea garden with a giant statue of Kannon watching over it.
Last week, I went on a hike that started from Naguri Village, in Hanno City (Saitama Prefecture). While researching the path, I learned about the Hakuunsan Torii Kannon (白雲山 鳥居観音). It is a large park built on a mountain in Naguri, with multiple temples and monuments, the most impressive of which is the white Dai-Kannon (救世大観音 ; Guze Dai-Kannon). At 33m, it is a large statue of Kannon that can be seen from quite far. Like at the Tokyo Wan Kannon, it is even possible to climb to the head (but it was not open yet when I was there).
Last week, I went back to the city of Futtsu in Chiba Prefecture, but this time in the Sanukimachi area. This is where the Tokyo Wan Kannon, a 56m-high statue of Kannon, the buddhist Goddess of Mercy, is erected. I had a glimpse at it from the ferry when I went to Mount Nokogiri, wondering what that was. After I learnt more, I had to go!
The inside of the statue can be visited and there are stairs to an observatory at the top, which offers a great view on Tokyo Bay and the surrounding area. On a clear day, it is possible to see Mount Fuji. There are a also hiking trails and beaches nearby.