Mellow Yellow Monday

Among colorful spring flowers, this flower is not eye-catching at first glance. But when focused, it looks very pretty and appealing. This finding makes me happy.
This is linking to Mellow Yellow Monday.

Huge Display

Sushi is my favorite food. I like seafood and vinegared rice. I found this sushi restaurant in Dotonbori area, which is one of the most famous and popular tourist spots in Osaka. There, you can see a lot of unique shop displays like this. Various kinds of restaurants, gorgeous brand shops as well as buyer-friendly discount shops. Such a photogenic place for travelers.

Huge canvas

 
This is the "Square of Time and Space" of JR Osaka Station, the biggest station in the Western Japan. This square is located on the 5th floor above the platforms. You can see an orange train.
Today a giant picture appeared on the floor. Click the pictures to enlarge.

The current Osaka Staion building was opended on May 4th last year and this picture was created to commemorate the first anniversary.

Today's sky was really beautiful with no clouds.

Floral Friday Fotos

This field is now covered with bright red salvias. I took this picture in the commemoration park of 1990's Flower Expo. The landmark of this park is a windmill, which you see in the hazy distance.

This is linking up with Floral Friday Fotos.

Annual annoyance

a big circus tent I found yesterday

from my window today

This time of the year, there's  annual annoyance that  affects most part of Japan, especially the western part. It is "Yellow Sand" which is stirred up by the wind from deserts in the Chinese continent. It often reaches Japan from March to May every year.
These two days are terrible. The dust has decreased visibility and stained laundry. I feel dusty and have a scratchy throat. For now I haven't heard many health problems due to this dust, but surely it is not good for our  health, at least for my nose and throat. Now I think about hanging laundry indoors and wearing a mask outside.
It is warm and I want to open the windows. BUT I can't  open them.
Come back the blue sky!

Friends, is the sky clear in your place?

Daigoji Temple

This is a main hall of Daigoji Temple in Kyoto. It has a huge precinct including a five-story pagoda, a magnificent Japanese garden and a museum. The original temple was constructed in 925, but it was burned down by fire and the present hall was completed in 1600. I love the shape of roof and tiles.
This temple is very famous for its abundant cherry blossoms. Now  the season is almost over, not so many people visit here.

This is linking to Our World Tuesday. 

Ruby Tuesday 2 - blossoms

I love both blossoms. I'm grateful for blessings of nature.

This is part of Ruby Tuesday 2.

My Shoes

I feel like I can keep walking in these yellow shoes. This season is good for walking. Today my pedometer shows 15467 steps. A little tired but happy feeling.

This post is linking to Mellow Yellow Monday and Blue Monday.

Floral Friday Fotos

Visit Floral Friday Fotos and enjoy others.

Bunraku Puppet Theater

Yesterday I went to the National Bunraku Puppet Theater in Osaka to see the traditional Japanese puppet performance, usually called "Bunraku" in Japanese.  I am a Bunraku fan because it is a very special world. It is unique in various points.

First, the story is narrated by a high-level chanter with the accompaniment of shamisen music, who changes his voice into various characters and attracts the audience.
Second, in most of the world's puppet theaters, great pains have been taken to hide the manipulation of the puppeteers from the audience. But in Bunraku, the manipulators appear openly, in full view
of the audience.
Third, furthermore, each puppet is manipulated by three puppeteers: main puppeteer(head and right hand), left puppeteer and third puppeteer (lower part).
Lastly, the theme is not for kids. Probably you imagine puppet play is mainly for kids, but the theme of Bunraku is for adults, such as  avenge, infidelity and double suicide. Far away from fantasy. Bunraku started in the 17th century when the third military government united Japan (Tokugawa era) and it was under a feudal system. At that time there was a clear status system and it was difficult to love freely. All the stories are based on the lives in the Tokugawa era. Samurai world.

The theater offers earphone guide service  so as to understand the story easily. English earphone guide service is available for YOU.
Enjoy Bunraku in English.

Fancy Boots

I love man/woman watching, especially people's walking....walking posture and shoes.

 I was caught by these fancy boots. She was a middle aged lady but  looks much younger and very elegant in these boots. Shoes are important fashion element, aren't they? But more important is one's walking posture. I try to walk in a good posture and take a brisk walk. Challenging.

Ruby Tuesday

This is my first entry to Ruby Tuesday. Happy Ruby Tuesday!

Mellow Yellow Monday

This is a close-up shot of Japanese rose. Now is in the midst of spring and a variety of blossoms and  flowers come out one after another.

I took this picture on the same day when I walked along the hillside road. It is really yellow nature.

This is part of Mellow Yellow Monday.

Still beautiful

Fallen petals are still beautiful.  And cherry petals flying about in the wind look like pink snow in the sky!  This is so special.

After cherry blossoms fall, green leaves appear all at once. You can see some green leaves here.
A blue heron was looking inside of the restaurant for a while. I am enjoying the beautiful spring day.

Friends, I have a question.
In Japan, when we say "flowers" in a vague way without meaning a specific flower, we imagine "cherry blossoms". Do you imagine any certain flower when you hear the word "flowers" in your country or your place?

Picturesque Setting

I can't stop posting these beauties.  Today I was blessed with beautiful sunshine and cherry blossoms. In some places, they've started falling.
This is linking to Floral Friday Fotos.

Riverside Cherry Blossom

Today it was raining almost all day. In the evening, the rain finally stopped. You can imagine how much it rained to see the river flowing. This is Kamo River, which flows in the eastern part of Kyoto city from north to south. Along the eastern riverbank, there are great number of cherry trees and they are all in full bloom. I was concerned about cherry blossoms falling after today's hard rain, but they survived. Lucky!   I'm sure lots of people enjoy cherry blossom viewing tonight.

Mellow Yellow Monday

I've never seen this flower, or I've never found it.  Today when I looked for some yellowish flower in the Expo Park, I found this. I don't know its name, but it shows off its existence among other showy flowers.

 

Spiraea thunbergii flowers can be seen from far  away because of its abundant clusters. They give us a nice scent. I also like its falling like snow. Very beautiful.

This is part of Mellow Yellow Monday.

Cherry Blossom Viewing

This is true. As for me, maybe many Japanese too, cherry blossoms are special targets. When the cherry buds swell, I start to be restless. When the cherry blossoms start to bloom, I get around here and there to see as much as possible. I don't know why, but I feel like strongly imprinting them in my eyes. Maybe cherry blossoms only live for a short time, for a week, and fall all too soon.

Today I had a cherry blossom viewing at the park after I got my hair cut. I got something to eat at the nearby convenience store. There are many families and groups opening their lunchboxes and enjoying cherry blossoms. Great day surrounded with whitish pink.

Floral Friday Fotos

Cherry blossoms have started to open, but the weather was like February today

and we had a little sleet in the afternoon. Freezing.



Come to enjoy Floral Friday Fotos.

Tough Babysitting

Dear friends,
I've been off line these two days and had  tough days. Let me tell you.


Yesterday was a nightmare. I was in charge of a check-in desk staff of the Holland America Line at the Kobe Port Terminal.It was my first time to sit there as a check-in staff. 
We would've been given enough orientation about what and how we should do, but we couldn't. We only got least information. No way to know!
In addition, over 1200 passengers gathered almost the same time. Impossible! I don't know whose mistake it is.
Some passengers got angry with waiting long or slow check-in.
The check-in counter opened at 11:00 and the next time I could see the time was at 3:15. No lunch, no restroom.
I was too exhausted to do anything.

But today was another tough day.
I have 11-month-old grandson, Rintaro. Today I was a whole day babysitter for him. It was also my first time to care for him at home all day. Raising kids needs stamina.
When I became enough tired, my husband came back home and split hairs over baby care. Suddenly I got mad at him. Saying is easy, doing is another thing. .....We had a row. Too bad.

Have you ever got mad at your partner?