Blue Sky 太阳历除夕

Today is the last day of 2011. It's a fine day. People will never forget this year.

The red leaves in a Japanese garden 日本庭园的红叶

The maple leaves have turned red over the stream.

There is a small water fall behind the stone bridge.

Bright colors are found in autumn silence.

The trees are in their autumn beauty,

The woodland paths are dry,

Yeats

Visiting China

I went to Jiangmen in Guangdong province. This is an old street in the center of the city.

 The city has a big park named Moon lake park.

July 6th was the day of Duanwujie. I bought steamed rice wrapped with a bamboo leaf.

Warm Sunshine and Yamazakura 山桜花

Lots of people come to see this cherry tree in full bloom. They cheer over its beauty and take photos.

We see same flowers every year,

people are not same as they were-

- a Chinese poem -

Below is another big tree with red shoots.

Skiing 滑雪

Last Sunday I skied for the first time. I entered a beginner class. I have never imagined how difficult to walk on snow. haha Anyway I skied down the slope with V shape foot. 上星期日,有生以來我首次滑雪。沒想到這麼愉快。有一個臺灣女生跟日本親戚一起來滑雪。

Spinach under morning sunshine

Every morning the temperature falls under 32F (0C). Spinach grows well in a vinyl dome. I came back from Zhuhai, China on 20th. I love spinach spaghetti.

a wheat field

Wheat is growing against heavy frosts.

The temple of a goddess 辯財天廟

I went to see autumn leaves with my family. At the foot of this mountain, there is a pond which water is bubbling out from the bottom. This temple is dedicated to the goddess of water. We went up the stairs to the top floor. 這一帶盛名於清水。山腳有一個池塘，水從池底噴出來。這座高樓祭祀水神。
The golden leaves of a ginkgo are shining under the blue sky. 銀杏葉都轉黃了。

Inn with hot spring and haiku 深山里洗溫泉

Last Saturday, we stayed at this Japanese style inn located deep in the mountains. There is no noise of people and cars. The inn is not big, hence the guests as well as the hotel staff are not in cold and distant. I heard the arrival of red leaf season has delayed 10 days because of too hot summer this year.

The left building has baths. We can also enjoy an outdoor bath called roten-buro. I do love to take a hot spring bath outdoor watching mountains hearing streams and receiving a cool breeze on head.左邊是浴池館。也有露天浴池。非常舒服。

Guests can make green tea by themselves using hot water in the big iron pot. Some of them make haiku (short poem consisting of 17 sounds in the Japanese language). This small hut is used for tea ceremony. The bamboo trees are planted something tastefully. 客人可以用鐵壺里的熱水泡茶。

Zhuhai in China before holiday 迎接國慶節的珠海

I tripped Zhuhai in southern China for nine days.This is the city museum. The building makes us image Tian'an men in Beijing. 這是珠海市博物館。展覽文物很有意思。也有在珠海地域挖掘的三千多年前陶器及青銅器。

I found Starbucks in the city. Judging from commodity prices, I think its prices are very expensive. But young people don't think so. They enjoy the aroma of a western city. 年青人喜歡喝星巴克。價錢有點貴。

Golden harvest 割稻子

Now is the time of reaping rice. The wind over the golden rice fields are dry and cool.

Usually rice is planted during the end of April and the beginning of May. Harvesting is started from early September.

中國江南收兩季稻。日本收單季。今年夏天熱極了。雖然上個星期來了一個臺風,有水稻倒伏,但沒有什麼大被害。收獲會很好。農民一年的辛苦得到了報償。

Rice flower 稻花

Three and a half months has passed since planting. Now we can see rice flowers. They have a special smell.　Ancient people believed that the rice plants began to seed when lightning hit the rice fields.

水稻插秧後,經過三個半月了。現在稻花開著。這些天有雷陣雨。古代人相信雷落到水田上稻就結實。

粒粒皆辛苦

Ring in Shirasagi shrine 茅輪

At the end of July, which is almost same to the end of June in the lunar calender, people go through the miscanthus wring three times. 農曆六月末日，人們走過三次神社茅輪。

Summer festival with portable shrines 神輿祓除疫病發生

In old days, people were in fear of the spread of epidemics in summer. They carried a portable shrine and went through the streets of a town, wishing the god in it prevents epidemics. Today people carry the shrine to wish their health and strengthen the bond of the residents.
從前夏天疫病要漫延。為了祓除惡疫, 農曆六月人們抬神輿走大街小巷。這個祭禮現在還有。人們盼望全家人健康。許多人抬一個神輿加強友誼的紐帶。

Lotus Flower

"予獨愛蓮之出淤泥而不染"

A lotus has an amazing ability to survive. 60years ago, 3 seeds were excavated in mud of the 2,000 years ago remains. Dr. Oga succeeded in germinating one.

Hydrangea in rainy season 雨期的紫陽花

'I have spread my dreams under your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.' -W.B.Y.

In the rainy season, the temperature is around 68F in a rainy or cloudy day while 91F in a sunny day. You have to accept a comfortable day as well as a muggy day.

Crops and flowers 水稻, 麥和白花

One month has passed since rice planting. Next week the rainy season will have set in.

插秧結束後, 一個月經過了。

It's the time of reaping wheat now. 割麥時節到了。
Basho, one of the famous Haiku poets, started his travel to the northern Japan on May 16, 1644 from Tokyo. He arrived at an entrance point of that area on June 7. At that time Sora, his travelling companion, made a Haiku expressing his respect for this area with deutzia. He compared this flower to a head ornament.

Maple Leaves in the rain 雨中槭葉

The yesterday temperature was 86°F. But today is rainy and the temperature is only 63°F. I went to a Japanese garden and took a photo of maple leaves. The green color is more vivid in the rain. The leaves are little. Ancient people called this kind of maple as frog's hand.

昨天有28度。但是今天有點冷。氣溫卻只有17度。只穿著短袖襯衫出去，恐怕會感冒。雨中的公園槭葉綠色挺漂亮的。葉形很可愛。古代日本人叫這種槭樹 '蛙手'。

Passion and Loss 太陽依舊昇起

At the end of the novel, they have a long talk.

Jake "You'll lose it if you talk about it."

Brett "I just talk around it"

在小說最後部分, 他們講話。

男 "如果你說那個話, 你就會失掉那個珍惜的。"

女 "我只說說那個話的周圍。"

Classic Cherry Blossom 古典文學裡的櫻花

People having lived in Japan for a few years will find that the most typical cherry today is called "Somei Yoshino". This kind has prevailed all over this country for 150years.

Those who are interested in the Japanese classics will notice that the poets, say Saigyo, Basho, had been impressed with the different one. It is said that the most typical cherry in the classical literature is "Yamazakura" which means mountain cherry. The below is its blossoms.

我高高興興地介紹你們日本古典文學裡的櫻花。這叫山櫻。山櫻開花時, 紅色嫩葉也出來。現在日本最多的種類是染井吉野。這是150年前開始裁培的。日本平安時代的西行, 江戶時代的芭蕉都欣賞山櫻。茅盾初次看到櫻花寫了一篇散文說"池西畔的一枝樹開放著一些淡紅的叢花了。.....沒有半張葉子。無疑地這就是櫻花。" 他看到的是染井吉野。

Yamazakura blooms just when the beautiful red leaves come out, while Somei Yoshino blooms without any leaves. It grows more than 35ft. The trunk is rather straight.
I imagine that Japanese poets have historically loved this cherry in full bloom among young green leaves of other trees.

Soft red leaves and white petals enjoy a day of spring this year. Yamasakura has been designed in traditional crafts like porcelain and gold lacquer work.

A day in spring 粉紅櫻花

These cherry have the pretty pink blooms.

”Light Ink" cherry in full bloom 淡墨櫻盛開

Nowadays we can see many kinds of cherry. This is one of the old kinds. About 60 years ago this tree was planted beside the ruins of a Buddhism temple. Usually the end of March, this cherry is in full bloom. After reading some of the Japanese classics, I became interested in knowing what kind of cherry people loved a long time ago. 在日本我們常見的樹種是"染井吉野"。我去看的是被叫"淡墨櫻"。人們說在花謝之前, 花瓣變淡黑。

This is named as "Light Ink Cherry" because just before the blossoms are gone, the white petals change to light black. The most popular kind is called as "Somei Yoshino" that has been sold by gardeners since mid of 19th century.　It is almost always this kind that you can see in a park or photo.

The blossom shape of Light Ink is different from Somei Yoshino. It is smaller and pretty while Somei Yoshino is gorgeous. 盛開時的花瓣形狀是這樣的。真可愛。

惠風和暢