The Poppy in the Sky by Kazuko

My husband and I went to Chichibu to see "The Poppy in the Sky" last Saturday. The weather was nice and it was a perfect day or a drive. We took the highway from Shiraoka Shobu to Ranzan Ogawa. After getting off the highway we drove comfortably along the country road. When we got near our destination, we found a signboard. It said "5 kilometers to the poppy fields. It will take 5 hours from here in a traffic jam." We thought "That's impossible." because there were no cars either in front of us or behind us even though the poppies were at their best that day. After that, 4 more signboards appeared, one every kilometer. The road was still not crowded and our drive was going smoothly. But, when we reached the point 2km from our goal, we suddenly stopped (halted). There was a continuous line of cars in front of us. We were caught in a traffic jam! That sign was right. Two hours later we finally arrived at our destination. The poppy field spread out over a hill. The vivid red color was so impressive. It was picturesque. But there was nothing else to look at. I was a little disappointed. We were there for only 30 minutes when we decided to return home. By the way, there was longer a line of cars on the way home.