Lost in Translation: A Case of A Pale View of Hills ロスト・イン・トランスレーション「遠い山並みの光」の場合

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I read A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro about ten years ago. The book was my second Ishiguro novel after Never Let Me Go. I enjoyed reading it, in particular the surprising tone change at the end of the story. The change is subtle, but I found it amazing that only a few words could completely change the perspective of the story. The passage was as follows:

Thanks Mosquito! 父と蚊

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Keiko was not married and still lived with her parents. Her father had retired and had finally started to do some household chores for the first time in his life. The incident happened when they heard a mosquito buzzing in their ears while folding clothes side by side without any conversation.

Single-Flowered White Sasanqua Camellia with Pink Edges 一重でピンクの縁取りの白山茶花

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The Camellia sasanqua is native to, and can be found across, Japan. It produces flowers from October to December (as opposed to the Camellia japonica, which flowers from February to April). The colors vary from white to pink and red and so do the petal forms, ranging from single to double. The blooms in this post are single-flowered and white with pink edges and you can easily spot these blooms in many places across Tokyo. Single-flowered Camellia sasanquas may be less flashy but are as beautiful as the double-flowered ones. 

2026/9/27

White Magnolia (Yulan Magnolia) ハクモクレン（白木蓮）

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Yulan magnolia (Magnolia denudata) is native to central and eastern China but now can be found across Japan and in many places in Tokyo. The tree flowers from February to April, the earliest among magnolias growing in Japan. The flower's pure white creates a brilliant contrast against the blue sky.  

2026/3/2

2024/3/12

Confederate Rose (Hibiscus Mutabilis cv. Versicolor) スイフヨウ（酔芙蓉）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are Confederate roses (Hibiscus mutabilis cv. versicolor) and the first five photos are of one flower, taken at 10:00, 12:30, 15:30 and 16:30 on 16 September 2024 and at 5:30 on the following morning. After such a color change from pure white in the morning to pink in the afternoon, this type of Confederate roses is named "sui fuyou," which translates into "drunken Confederate rose."

The sixth and the last ones are red and white marbled. Some Japanese apricot trees produce such colored flowers but (I believe that) a Confederate rose tree producing such flowers is quite unusual. White apricot trees don't exist but red ones produce white or red/white marbled flowers when they cannot produce enough anthocyanins to make flowers red. The same may apply to this hibiscus tree. 

If you want to see peach, Japanese apricot, or lespedeza having white, pink/red or marble-colored flowers on a tree, read the following posts: 

- Red & White Marble Colored Flowering Peach

- Half & Half Colored Japanese Apricot (White & Pink)!

- Lespedeza Japonica Bailey cv. Versicolor (Variegated Bush Clover)

10:00 a.m., 2024/9/16

Asian Swallowtail (Papilio Xuthus) ナミアゲハ（並揚羽）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

The Asian swallowtail (Papilio xuthus) is found in Asia, Siberia and the Hawaiian Islands and can be found across Japan. Its female is known to have clearer blue areas in black bands on their hindwings, so most of those in these photos may be female. 

Butterflies usually close their wings when resting but are also known to open their wings to bask in the sun to warm their bodies, which gave me the moment to take these photos. 

2026/6/30

Pale Grass Blue (Pseudozizeeria Maha) 大和小灰蝶（ヤマトシジミ）

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A male pale grass blue (Pseudozizeeria maha) butterfly looks completely different when its wings are open (1st photo) and closed (2nd photo). When closed, you may disregard it because it's plain, just a small white butterfly with black spots. When the wings are open, however, you would be surprised by the beautiful pale blue of the upper side of its wings as suggested by the name. (If you want to see the butterfly showing both sides, see the 3rd photo.) Butterflies are known to open their wings to bask in the sun to warm their bodies, so you're more likely to see the beautiful blue in autumn than summer.   

The pale grass blue resembles the plains cupid (Luthrodes pandava) very much except for the latter having orange spots on the wings. I once mistook a plains cupid for a pale grass blue.   

2025/11/2

2026/9/27

Shovel-Headed Garden Worm (Bipalium Kewense) コウガイビル（笄蛭）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is a shovel-headed garden worm (Bipalium kewense). When I first saw it, I almost screamed. Slowly moving, it looks harmless but it has surprisingly terrifying features.

Firstly, it carries tetrodotoxin, the same deadly poison found in pufferfish. Secondly, its mouth is in the middle of its belly and when finding its favorite food, e.g., earthworms, it pushes its stomach outside its body, wraps it around the worm, liquefies it, and drinks it 😱. Thirdly, this worm can split its own body to make clones, so it will not die even if it is cut up.

Originally from Southeast Asia, it traveled around the world hidden in the soil of potted plants and was first discovered in 1878 at the Kew Gardens in England. Because of this wandering and its hairpin shaped head (2nd photo), in Japan, the worm is called "watari kougai hiru," which translates to "wandering hairpin leech," although it's not a leech but a relative of a planarian. 

Funnily, despite these terrifying features, it often accidentally dries up and dies on hot asphalt after it rains.

2026/9/27

Butterfly Pea (Clitoria Ternatea) チョウマメ（蝶豆）

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Butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea) is native to tropical Asia and said to have arrived in Japan in the middle of the 19th century. It produces blue, white, or reddish orange flowers from July to November. While butterfly pea flowers can be brewed into blue tea and leaves, shoots and young pods are edible, other parts, such as mature seeds and roots, are generally inedible and can cause digestive upset.  

2026/9/24

Deceiver (Laccaria Laccata) キツネタケ（狐茸）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

It's been raining on and off in Tokyo for the past month. I recently found these mushrooms, which appear to be deceivers. They weren't there the day before. Deceivers are edible and can be found around the world. In Japan, the mushroom is called "kitsunetake," which translates to "fox mushroom," due to its color.  

2026/9/24

2026/9/24

Grasshopper (Atractomorpha) オンブバッタ（負飛蝗）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are grasshoppers. Plan and simple. The twist, however, is their relationship. A man passing by while I was taking these photos said that they were a parent and a child. I thought so, too, but ha ha! We were both mistaken. They are actually male and a female and you know what? The bigger one is female. In other words, a male grasshopper, which is much smaller, is piggybacking on her😆! And that's why in Japan, this species is called "piggyback grasshopper."

2024/9/19 A female grasshopper is piggybacking a male counterpart
雌が雄をおんぶ