The rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) produces single and double-flowered blooms. Single-flowered blooms are elegantly beautiful while double-flowered ones are gorgeous. I like both!
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| 2026/7/1 |
Double-Flowered Roses of Sharon 八重咲きの木槿
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
The rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) produces single and double-flowered blooms. Single-flowered blooms are elegantly beautiful while double-flowered ones are gorgeous. I like both!
The rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) produces single and double-flowered blooms. Single-flowered blooms are elegantly beautiful while double-flowered ones are gorgeous. I like both!
Johnson Grass (Sorghum Halepense) セイバンモロコシ（西播蜀黍）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
Johnson grass or Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) is native to the Mediterranean region of Europe and Africa, parts of Western Asia, and the Middle East, came to Japan as an invasive plant in around 1945, and can now can be found across the country but Hokkaido (i.e., the northernmost part of Japan). I looked up the origin of the name, finding that the plant is named after an Alabama plantation owner, Colonel William Johnson, who introduced the plant to his farm in around 1840 as a prospective forage. Johnsongrass, however, has been found to become poisonous under stress (e.g., frost) and be toxic to livestock.
Despite such hardiness and toxicity, however, Johnsongrass produces tiny and cute flowers.
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| 2025/6/29 |
Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) 木槿（ムクゲ）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
The rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is native to China, came to Japan at the beginning of the Heian period (794 to 1185), and can be found across Japan. The plant produces simple and double flowered white and pink flowers from July to October and its flowers are used for display at Japanese tea ceremonies in summer.
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| 2026/7/1 |
Five-Seeded Plume-Poppy (Macleaya Cordata) タケニグサ（竹似草）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
The five-seeded plume-poppy (Macleaya cordata) is native to China, Taiwan, and Japan and can be found across Japan. Its Japanese name is "takeni gusa," which translates into "plant similar to bamboo," after it having hollow stems like bamboos.
The five-seeded plume-poppy (Macleaya cordata) is native to China, Taiwan, and Japan and can be found across Japan. Its Japanese name is "takeni gusa," which translates into "plant similar to bamboo," after it having hollow stems like bamboos.
The plant shows its beauty in various ways. Spindle shaped white things (scroll down) are buds. Things that look like sparklers are flowers, which contain beautiful thread shaped white stamens and orange pistils (scroll down). Its brown capsules are also beautiful.
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| 2026/7/1 |
Lysimachia Clethroides (Gooseneck Loosestrife) 丘虎の尾（オカトラノオ）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
The gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides) is native to east Asia and can be found across Japan, producing white flowers from June to August. It's edible and used to be eaten in Japan as a famine plant (although it tastes bitter and astringent). The plant's Japanese name is "Okatora no o," which translates into "tiger tail growing on hills," after its flower spikes looking like tiger tails.
The gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides) is native to east Asia and can be found across Japan, producing white flowers from June to August. It's edible and used to be eaten in Japan as a famine plant (although it tastes bitter and astringent). The plant's Japanese name is "Okatora no o," which translates into "tiger tail growing on hills," after its flower spikes looking like tiger tails.
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| 2026/7/1 |
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| 2026/6/30 |
Hydrangea Serrata Var. Yesoensis F. Cuspidata Cv. 四季咲き姫紫陽花（シキザキヒメアジサイ）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
These are Hydrangea serrata var. yesoensis f. cuspidata cv., a type of mountain hydrangea. Their Japanese name is "shikizaki hime ajisai," which translates into "hydrangea blooming all year round." As the name suggests, the hydrangeas bloom for a longer period, i.e., the six months from June to December (not throughout the year though). Another feature is that the blooms change color at different pace one by one, resulting in various shades of pink, blue and purple.
These are Hydrangea serrata var. yesoensis f. cuspidata cv., a type of mountain hydrangea. Their Japanese name is "shikizaki hime ajisai," which translates into "hydrangea blooming all year round." As the name suggests, the hydrangeas bloom for a longer period, i.e., the six months from June to December (not throughout the year though). Another feature is that the blooms change color at different pace one by one, resulting in various shades of pink, blue and purple.
Their blue and purple color is beautiful but their bluish, pinkish, and purplish sepia gradients evoke a sense of nostalgic beauty. (Scroll down!)
Below are the shots of various hydrangeas. Hope you enjoy them, too!
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Ayesha' (Popcorn hydrangea)
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| 2023/5/28 |
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| 2023/5/28 |
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.
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| 2026/6/30 |
Antilles Mottlegill (Panaeolus Antillarum) ツヤマグソタケ（艶馬糞茸）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
It was great fun finding mushrooms that hadn't existed a few days earlier. They've just popped up for the past couple of days, during which it rained heavily due to a typhoon. Google Lens identifies them as antilles mottlegill (Panaeolus antillarum) but I'm not sure.
It was great fun finding mushrooms that hadn't existed a few days earlier. They've just popped up for the past couple of days, during which it rained heavily due to a typhoon. Google Lens identifies them as antilles mottlegill (Panaeolus antillarum) but I'm not sure.
Many mushrooms are safe to touch and eat (and tasty!) but some are not. In Japan, 30 to 70 people are treated for mushroom poisoning every year. The Japanese ministry of agriculture, forestry, and fishery has a website on 10 most typical poisonous mushrooms in Japan (in Japanese only).
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| 2026/6/30 |
East Asian Mallotus (Mallotus Japonicus) アカメガシワ（赤芽柏）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
East Asian mallotus (Mallotus japonicus) is native to East Asia and can be found across Japan. The tree is dioecious, producing male and female flowers on separate trees from June to July. The trees in this post are all female with female flowers, producing clusters of fruits and seeds (scroll down) in two months. The three to four branched red parts of the female flowers are stigmas.
East Asian mallotus (Mallotus japonicus) is native to East Asia and can be found across Japan. The tree is dioecious, producing male and female flowers on separate trees from June to July. The trees in this post are all female with female flowers, producing clusters of fruits and seeds (scroll down) in two months. The three to four branched red parts of the female flowers are stigmas.
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| 2026/6/29 |
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum Esculentum) ソバ（蕎麦）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
The buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is native to southwestern China and grown in Hokkaido and other prefectures in Japan but it's unusual for it to grow on the sidewalk like this. The plant produces white and pink flowers twice a year in Japan, i.e., summer buckwheat, which flower from late June to early July, and autumn buckwheat, which flower from early September to mid-October. Those in these photos should be summer buckwheat.
Many tourists come to Japan to eat tempura, sushi, ramen, wagyu, etc., but when you want to give your stomach a break, I would recommend a soba noodle. When your stomach doesn't need a break, you can of course enjoy having a soba noodle with tempura on it (i.e., tempura soba) or a soba noodle together with oyako don (chicken and egg rice bowl) or katsu don (Japanese pork cutlet and egg rice bowl), both of which you should generally be able to have at most soba noodle restaurants.
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| 2026/6/28 |
Japanese Spirea (Spiraea Japonica) シモツケ（下野）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
The Japanese spirea (Spiraea japonica) is native to China, Korea, and Japan and can be found across Japan, producing pink flowers with a beautiful gradient from pale to bright pink from May to August. The plant is named "shimotsuke" in Japanese after the Shimotsuke province or the current Tochigi prefecture where the plant was found for the first time in Japan. Its autumn leaves are also beautiful (scroll down)!
The Japanese spirea (Spiraea japonica) is native to China, Korea, and Japan and can be found across Japan, producing pink flowers with a beautiful gradient from pale to bright pink from May to August. The plant is named "shimotsuke" in Japanese after the Shimotsuke province or the current Tochigi prefecture where the plant was found for the first time in Japan. Its autumn leaves are also beautiful (scroll down)!
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| 2026/6/28 |
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Double-Flowered Roses of Sharon 八重咲きの木槿
英語の後に日本語が続きます。 The rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) produces single and double-flowered blooms. Single-flowered blooms are elegantly bea...
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英語の後に日本語が続きます。 I read "A Pale View of Hills" by Kazuo Ishiguro a few years ago. The book was my second Ishiguro's book after...
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Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。 Is he being boiled to death? (This is a revised version of the story originally posted on Se...