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

Plum blossom 好文木

Though we had a sudden snowfall this Tuesday, it becomes warmer. Plum blossom is a symbol of the early spring. 雖然這星期二還下了一場雪, 但正是梅花盛開的时节。

It's a fine day today. Petals are gathering sunshine.
Plum has another name called as the lover of study. I have heard a famous legend. More than one thousand years ago, there was a high official who was also known as a famous literary man. His rival in the palace envied him and used tricks to make him lose his high position. He had to go out of the capital and have a low position in a remote town. When he left the house in the capital, he sent a short poem to the plum tree that had been loved by him as a symbol of the spring. The poem says " You, do not forget the arrival of the spring though you are losing your master. " After his master arriving at the town, one night the plum tree flied over the sky and came into the garden of his master's new house.
The noble blossom in the early spring.
Turtles come out of the pond to take a sunbathe on a small stone. They look comfortable.