Mountaintop Shrine

The entrance gate of Nishi Kanasa Jinja Shrine is magnificent. This shirine is not accessible. Anyway, I got a good chance of forest bathing. 

It is located on the 500 meter peak. There are no house around it. I drove my car on the narrow, long and winding road.  I don't know why this was built at a place far from any human dwelling. In old days, it would be more difficult to come and worship here.

 

Cherry Blossoms (2)

It was still early in the morning. Some families had laid out a tarp under blossomed branches. Young children were chasing petals to catch in the air. Their cheerful voices made this morning brighter.

The cherry tunnel along the river.

 

Cherry Blossoms Opened

One year has passed and we can enjoy again a typical beauty of the spring. Some kinds of cherry opened at the same time this year. The flowering time becomes earlier year by year.

This cherry is probably Cerasus jamasakura, a wild species. The tree grows very tall.

These are Cerasus × yedoensis ‘Somei-yoshino’, a crossbreed kind. The tree shape is different from the above one. 

The blossoms of this kind are really gorgeous. 

Meteorological agency says that Somei-Yoshino blossoms open on the day when the sum total of daily highest temperatures from 1st February reaches 600℃.　I've never heard of it before!

 

Butterbur Scapes Have Come Out

I found Japanese butterburs. Butterbur scape tempra is sweet and bitter. It's a typical spring wild vegetable. If they grow more than the size of this image, they become too bitter to eat. Don't miss the time! 蜂頭菜芽天婦羅好食呀.

It has many scapes.

 

Don't you think you got a lovely bouquet from Spring?

Forked-stem Adonis （Adonis Ramosa） 福壽草

When I find these yellow flowers, I  feel the spring has really come even if the temperature is still low.

They keep opening under the sunshine and close petals in the evening. The petals have an important role to gather the sun heat in the center of the flower so that insects can be induced to come to this flower by that heat. 

 

Korean Style Macaron On Eclair

A Korean Macaron shop has just opened in a neighboring city.

Their macarons are very cute.

 

Plum Blossoms Have Opened 梅花開咗

I just went to check whether they opened or not. For about ten days, the temperature is very low. It fell to -7.1 C degrees or 19.2 F this morning. 

To my surprise, they did bloom already. This tree is one of the first one to bloom in my city.

I  don't know the name of this prunus mume . The petals are yellowish white. It's quite difficult for me to take a picture close-up in the wind by the smartphone. I tried for a while and got this one.

 

Disney Blue Glazed Plates

Traditional patterns collaborate with Disney characters.

I received this present at the end of last year.

Mickey is on sea waves. 青海波紋

A chrysanthemum shaped plate with ３smiling Mickeys. 菊花(皿)碟

A lozenge-shaped dish. 菱碟

Arabesque pattern was brought from ancient Iran through China on Silk Road. 忍冬唐草紋

Octagonal plate. Eight is a lucky number, written "八". As you see, this character is spreading out like an open fan and has an image of prosperity.

 

The Seven Herb Rice Porridge 七草粥

In the morning of January 7th, people eat this special porridge.

This is an image of 7 herbs on the bag. 

They are Water dropwort水芹, Shepherd's Purse芜無薺, Cudweed鼠曲草 Chickweed繁縷,Nipplewort寶蓋草, Turnip蕪菁 and Radish白蘿蔔.

You can easily get freeze dried ones at a supermarket. 

A book written in the ancient southeast China in the 6th century has a report that people made soup with seven herbs on 7th January.　6世紀中國南朝的著作『荊楚歳時記』說「正月七日為人日、以七種菜為羹」。