Red Bougainvillea At December End 年末の赤いブーゲンビリア

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I wrote about bougainvillea before, but that was pink. This time I found red ones in my neighborhood. 

Red bougainvillea 赤いブーゲンビリア

Long Walk from Zojoji Temple to Atago Jinja Shrine😊 増上寺から愛宕神社まで散歩しました😊

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are 3cm tall dolls of a cow (left) and an ox (right) I bought at Zojoji temple. 

I went to the temple to do "hatsumode," a long-standing Japanese tradition of visiting temples or shrines during the New Year period (generally from January 1 to 3) to pray for good luck for the new year. As almost every Japanese goes to at least one temple/shrine, these sacred places across the country are very crowded during that three-day period. So instead of paying a hatsumode visit during the period, I went to Zojoji temple before the New Year to avoid people, and found these cawaii dolls of a cow (i.e., the white one🐄) and an ox (i.e., the brown one🐂) sold by the temple to welcome the New Year or the Year of the Ox/Cow.

Wooden dolls of cow and ox I bought at Zojoji temple 増上寺で買った雌牛と雄牛の人形

Netsuke - Wind and Thunder Gods, Masks, and Blowfish🐡 根付 - 風神雷神、面、フグ🐡

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I've written many posts about netsuke. According to Britannica, netsuke is an ornamental togglelike piece, usually of carved ivory, used to attach a medicine box, pipe, or tobacco pouch to the obi (sash) of a Japanese man’s traditional dress. 

Because of such functionality, netsuke needs to be very small (i.e., about 3cm) and therefore is very miniature and delicate like the three netsuke below on show at Tokyo National Museum.   

Netsuke in the shape of Wind and Thunder Gods, 19th century
風神雷神牙彫根付 19世紀

Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva Kannon and Hattifatteners? 千手観音菩薩坐像とニョロニョロ？

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I'm very disrespectful. I know that. But to me, the god's arms look like Hattifatteners...

Thousand-armed bodhisattva kannon, 14th century 千手観音菩薩坐像 14世紀

Earthquake Clouds, Rainbow, Moon 地震雲、虹、月

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

What's this? I took these pictures early morning a few days ago... 

"Umai bo," small, puffed, corn snack? うまい棒？

Or nine tails of a fox? 九尾の狐？

Some say that these are earthquake clouds, i.e., clouds predicting imminent earthquakes, while others are against the claim saying there is little support for it. I don't know which is true but these clouds were so beautiful that I decided to include other beautiful photos I took before of the rainbow, moon and clouds...

Autumn Leaves - Red Gives Me Strength! 紅葉 - 赤ってパワフル！

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These days I can't help but take photos of autumn leaves, especially red ones. Because I need RED😝!

 

Red stands out 赤が際立つ

"Lemon" or "Remon"😅 檸檬の「レ」は「L」？「R」？😅

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I didn't know that lemons fruit in winter. 

Lemon tree レモン

Pittosporum Tobira (Japanese Cheesewood) トベラ

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is Japanese cheesewood (Pittosporum tobira). Although these red seeds are edible, they are sticky and have no taste or smell, and aren't yummy at all. (But the flowers smell sweet while leaves smell cheese, which is why it's called Japanese cheesewood.)

The term "tobira" contained in its name is a Japanese word, meaning "door." The plant is named as such because a sprig of this (or holly) is hung on the door on the day of setsubun, i.e., February 3, together with a baked sardine head. This is a ritual for setsubun, i.e., the date before the beginning of spring on the lunisolar calendar, to expel evil spirits.  

May 2022

With crane flies in May 2022　ガガンボと