「Uwa~~, amazing~~!」

 

Spread before me were beautifully blooming tulips!

A large windmill, a cruise ship crossing a canal, a white drawbridge and a stylish wooden dock.

An iconic clock tower in a brick building.

A Dutch townscape was spread before me.

 

But this wasn’t The Netherlands.

It was Hui Ten Bosch in Sasebo city, Nagasaki prefecture.

 

I had come here today with Mukai-san for a date.

 

「It’s amazing, it’s like we’re overseas.」

「Unlike other theme parks, this was created with actual reference to Dutch townscapes.」

「So that’s why!」

 

Most of the buildings in Huis Ten Bosch were faithful model reproductions of real buildings.

 

「The clock tower is modeled after the Dom Tower clock in The Netherlands.」

「Hou, hou.」

 

Dom Church was also known as St Martin’s Cathedral.

It was the tallest tower in The Netherlands and was a beautiful Gothic style architecture.

 

The Huis Ten Bosch townscape was something made with a log of commitment.

The “Palace Huis Ten Bosch” was a recreation of the Queen’s residence

 

「A year before Huis Ten Bosch opened, the head of the Dutch team examined the brick exterior and apparently noted a difference of 2mm. Because of then, Huis Ten Bosch decided to carry out reconstruction work totalling 40 million yen.」

「Hiii~~!」

 

I was terrified by the resolute decision of the person in charge at the time.

However, in the wake of that incident, The Netherlands became aware of Huis Ten Bosch’s determination and their relationship was strengthened.

 

「Originally, Huis Ten Bosch was the name of the Dutch Royal Palace–」

 

The name meant ‘House in the Forest’. They seemed to have received special permission to use that name.

It seemed that many people in the Nagasaki prefecture didn’t know about that.

 

「House in the Forest, is it? That’s so nice.」

 

As soon as I said those words, Mukai-san stopped moving.

 

「What’s wrong?」

「No, I just remembered that a few years ago, the friend that told me that I was telling them too much information and that they couldn’t enjoy the scenery.」

 

Mukai-san frowned with with a complex expression.

It seems that when he brought an acquaintance from Tokyo sightseeing in Nagasaki, he had also talked about the history and culture. Back then, that was what he had been told.

 

「Sorry if it’s too much information.」

「No, I like listening to your stories. They’re easy to understand and I always think about it as I listen. Even my perspective changed when you told me that the buildings in Huis Ten Bosch were modeled after real buildings.」

 

I grabbed Mukai-san and asked what the building in front of us was.

As soon as I asked what it was, he immediately replied ‘It’s ○○’. Because he replied so quickly, I became really interested and repeatedly asked more questions.

 

「Speaking of which, why did tulips become associated with The Netherlands?」

「……That is a long story, you know?」

「Let’s go into a coffee shop.」

 

Because it was a weekday, it was relatively quiet.

The advantage of Huis Ten Bosch was that you could enjoy it leisurely compared to other Japanese theme parks.

Recently the attractions had received some upgrades and it seemed to be very busy on Saturdays and Sundays.

 

There was a cafe boat where you could enjoy tea and confections while cruising around the Huis Ten Bosch, so we decided to go on board.

Outside the window, swans were gracefully swimming down the canal. They were so cute that I took a photo with my phone. When we returned, I had to show Ryoko-chan.

It seemed that there were only two people inside aside from us. It was an elderly couple sitting next to us. I gave a bow and sat down.

The menu had a cake set and a sake set.

The both of us ordered a cake set.

After ordering the sets, they were immediately brought to us.

 

The ship started moving slowly.

For a while, we enjoyed the scenery of Huis Ten Bosch. It was really beautiful.

On the way, there was a place where the draw bridges were lifted up and I got a little excited.

Although I had just sworn in my mind that I would act like an adult woman to match Mukai-san, I immediately forgot about.

Mukai-san’s eyes were calm, like a father watching his daughter…… I didn’t like that very much.

 

I settled back down and started to talk to him again.

 

「Oh, right. Tell me about the relationship between The Netherlands and tulips.」

 

The topic moved to the main subject.

 

「Tulips were introduced to The Netherlands around the 6th century.」

「It wasn’t the country of origin?」

「Ah. It was native to Turkey’s Anatolia region. The Netherlands were where the bulbs were cultivated.」

 

Many of tulip bulbs sold in Japan seemed to have come from The Netherlands.

 

「Tulips were brought to Europe with the help of an Austrian ambassador and his friends.」

 

Tulips grown in Dutch botanical gardens became popular and the price of tulips increased greatly due to purchases from enthusiasts.

 

「Among them, a type of white-lined red tulip called Semper Augustus was worth the price of a small house.」

「The price of a small house! But it was just a single tulip……」

「It’s an incredible story, but true.」

 

Originally, Dutch people with status would live in mansions surrounded by flower gardens.

When tulips first appeared there, people went crazy for them.

 

With everyone looking for tulips, the price rose rapidly.

When business with tulips became possible, various people entered the market.

But, of course, it didn’t last long.

The tulip market suddenly collapsed.

 

「No way, so there was such a history.」

 

Since then, tulips have become a flower accessible to the commoners and spread throughout The Netherlands.

 

「The spacious Dutch lands seemed to be suitable for tulip cultivation.」

「Was that so.」

 

For the Dutch, the tulip, a symbol of nobility, seemed to be one of the businesses that supported its modern economy.

 

「Well, it wasn’t a pleasant story.」

「No, no, I learned a lot.」

 

While listening to him, the cruise finished.

After that, we walked around the park and enjoyed the scenery and attractions.

It quickly became night.

Even after dark, Huis Ten Bosch was still fun.

The park was lit up, turning into a fantastical appearance.

Above all, the sea of light flowing down from the clock tower was a big highlight.

I had run out of words. All I could say was ~Amazing~.

Mukai-san held my hand as the number of people increased so I wouldn’t get lost.

 

Huis Ten Bosch didn’t only have tulips.

It had Roses in May, Hydrangeas in June and Lilies in July. There were also fireworks in August, Octoberfest from September to October, Halloween in November and Christmas in December, there were various events as well.

 

You couldn’t enjoy it just once.

 

「Let’s come again!」

 

When I said that, Mukai-san gavea pleasant smile.

[Previous Chapter] [Table Of Contents]