Maple Leaves

I feel the climate switch has changed from autumn to winter.  So the maple leaves will rapidly change its color.
This is part of Our World Tuesday and Ruby Tuesday 2.

Nara Park

This is a picture of fall foliage in Nara Park taken a few days ago.
This is part of Outdoor Wednesday.

River Time

Mino Waterfall in Osaka Prefecture Part II

In walking along the river, I can feel much cooler air than around my house.

People enjoy being in the river or by the river or above the river.

I dedicate this post to Water World Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday.

Mino Waterfall

 

Today I enjoyed walking along the Mino River to see the Mino Waterfall. It is part of Meiji Forest Mino Quasi-national Park. From the Mino station it takes about one hour to the waterfall. The fall is 33m in height. Today it was very sunny and hot, but I enjoyed  the cool breeze in the shade of a forest.

I dedicate this post to Water World Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday.

Too Wet

Japan has distinct four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and witnter. And before starting hot and humid summer, there is a rainy season for a month, usually between the middle of June and the middle of July. Now we are in the midst of the rainy season. Wet, wet and wet! In addition, we are double affected because of the typhoon. Today 100 % heavy rain all day. So will tomorrow be, according to the weather forecast.
For rice cultivation, this rain is blessed rain, but for travelers it plays havoc! Look at the picture above. On such a day, acquarium is my recommendation. The water world makes us healed and relaxed.

It was fun to see a staff feed a big ray.

Scenic Sunday

One day in Nara Park ( Deer Park)

 

This is linking to Scenic Sunday.

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.

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.

Ume and the Seto Inland Sea

a small island and farming rafts

Please let me show you ume apricot once again.  Don't say, "No more ume." Because  I love this blossom so much.
Today I drove to the west for two hours to visit World Ume Park, which has around 350 kinds of ume from Japan, China, Taiwan and Korea. Now is the best time to view them. Why I came so far? Because this ume grove is located on the mountain and the opposite side is facing the Seto Inland Sea. So I can view both the blossoms and the sea at the same time. Let's enjoy some pics with me!

Chinese-style viewing platform

outside petal is more pink than inner petals



This is part of Floral Friday Fotos.

Inn of Camellia

 Today I visited "Camellia Honjin" in Ibaraki city, which is temporarly open to the public. This traditional Japanese house used to be used as an official inn for feudal lords called "Honjin
本陣" in Edo period.
When the Tokugawa military government united the country in the beginning of the 17th century, it ordered feudal lords to move periodically between Edo (present-day Tokyo) and his clan, typically spending alternate years in each place. His wife and children were required to live in Edo as hostages. The expenditures necessary to maintain lavish residences in both places, and for the procession to and from Edo, placed financial strains on the feudal lords making them unable to wage war. The frequent travel of the feudal lords encouraged road building and the construction of inns and facilities along the routes, generating economic activity.

procession

400 years ago, feudal lords entered this gate in the lavish palanquin. "Camellia Honjin" was named after the notable Camellia tree standing just by the front gate. It is said to bloom five different kinds of flowers. I'm not sure five kinds.  Beautiful multi-petaled camellias.

Furthermore, in front of the entrance this weeping pink ume apricot is proud of its beauty.

Expo Park...Today's shots

White ume is blooming with a sweet scent. Over there, the monument of the '70 World Expo is standing.

White one, pink one, red one, single-petal and eight-petal... I can't count the number of varieties.

I love this red fluffy something. Really cute.

I had a cup of matcha tea in this tea house. It was a nice time to recompose myself.

Fallen camellias on  hair moss are still beautiful. In the Japanese garden, moss is also an important element.

A bird of a yellow body appeared. Expo Park is a spaciou park with a lot of  trees, where you can enjoy bird watching.

Rape blossoms...another harbinger of spring

 Rape blossoms  bloom in winter from early-Jan. to mid-March at this lakeside park in Moriyama, Shiga Prefecture. About 12,000 flower plants carpet the area in yellow. And in July-August, there are sunflowers. It is free admission. This park is located at the lakeside of Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan and the important source for the drinking water of Osaka and other cities.

Far away beyond the lake you can see the mountains covered with snow, which is the closest ski slope from my house. This year most ski resorts have enough snow to operate, but these days skiing is no more popular in Japan, even snowboards either. I guess young people prefer computers and high-tech devices to playing in the freezing field.

Rape blossom is another harbinger of spring. Spring is approaching definitely.
My husband and I go here and there to find a new companion toy poodle puppy. We are enjoying visiting and holding puppies. Wonderful time!! But we haven't met ours yet.

sharing Mellow Yellow Monday

Feeling better...

Firstly, I am very grateful for all your kind comments and helpful advices. I've been so happy to have my family and friends to support me. I am feeling much better now, but still coughing with sputum.
I tried a various kinds of drinks, such as hot honey and lemon, hot ginger tea, hot milk with honey, ....many cups of  green tea and nutrition-supplement drink.  I stayed in bed all day yesterday. I can't say which one worked the best, probably all I think. Now I feel hungry, it's a good sign. I've lost some weight, which is the only good thing.
Anyway, I learned it takes much longer to recover once I made my cold worse. I should keep  this in my mind from now.
Once again, thanks you to all beautiful bloggers and please take care of yourself to keep in good condition!

This is part of Floral Friday Fotos.

Kasuga Grand Shrine

 Today I enjoyed the authentic Japanese tradition in Kasuga Grand Shrine in Nara, although it  rained all day. Every 21rd of the month,the "Shunsai Festival" has been held to pray for the peace and security of the  nation for 900 years. It was my first time to participate such a serious Shinto ceremony. (I have no pics about the ceremony because taking pictures was not allowed there.) A solemn atmosphere filled the ground.

The path to the shrine passes through Deer Park (where tame deer roam free). Over a thousand stone lanterns line the way. They are all donations to the shrine. Many stone lanterns are old enough to be covered with moss. In the past, all the lanterns were lit every night for the people who came to pray at night.

Inside the precinct, a lot of bronze lanterns are hung from the eaves. The contrast of the red structure and the hanging lanterns is really gorgeous.

The lanterns below are rather new, real bronze color.

A Shinto wedding ceremony was being held when I visited in the afternoon. The lady with white hood is a bride. They all wear traditional Japanese costume.

Kasuga Grand Shrine and the Kasugayama Primeval Forest near it are registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.