Ōkawara Plateau

photo by akiakane · CC BY 3.0

photo by akiakane · CC BY 3.0

15 Siemens turbines, 60 m tall, generate 19.5 MW; in July, 10,000 hydrangeas at 900 m altitude.

On the ridge east of Mount Asahigamaru (1,019 m), in the municipality of Sanagochi, fifteen Siemens wind turbines 60 metres tall, with a 62-metre rotor, have generated 19.5 MW since February 2009: the wind farm extends across three municipalities of the prefecture. At 900 metres above sea level, from the beginning to the end of July, about 10,000 hydrangeas cover the slopes of the plateau, which extends over 120 hectares, together with a communal pasture open from May to September and a strip of wild azaleas (awa-mitsuba-tsutsuji).

Hilly plateau in the municipality of Sanagochi, about 30 kilometres south of Tokushima city: a destination for a day trip by car rather than a place you pass through, visited mostly in the hydrangea season and, at night, for stargazing away from city lights.

ℹ️ Open access, free of charge, all year round, no fixed hours; scenic road that can be travelled by car (30 km, about 50 minutes from Tokushima city) or by local bus.

Sources: awanavi.jp · windfarm.work · ja.wikipedia.org

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