Blue Passionflower (Passiflora Caerulea) 時計草（トケイソウ）

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

The plant is supposed to flower in April and May, but it still has several flowers. They're blue passionflowers (Passiflora caerulea). Their Japanese name is "clock plant" after the appearance, which resembles a clock.  

Blue passionflower　時計草

Passiflora caerulea　トケイソウ

Japanese Wisteria (Wisteriopsis Japonica) 紫夏藤（ムラサキナツフジ）

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

I noticed that they were not Japanese bush clover (Lespedeza) when about to delete these photos. They're Japanese wisteria (Wisteriopsis japonica) in the Hasedera temple, Nara. It was so hot that day that I was able to take a couple of photos of the flowers. The wisteria produces white flowers, too. 

Japanese wisteria　紫夏藤

Wisteriopsis japonica　ムラサキナツフジ

Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa) 熊蜂（クマバチ）

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

This is a carpenter bee (Xylocopa) having breakfast on sponge gourd flowers. I've been seeing the bee for the last couple of months and wanting to photograph them but they move from one flower to another so quickly that they flee before the camera focuses on them, so I decided to take @zaungruen method, i.e., focusing the camera on a flower and waiting for the subject to come and it worked😀!!!  

Carpenter bees are large, i.e., 2 to 3 cm, flying so quickly, so I assumed that they're aggressive but they're relatively gentle. I love the giant bees😄

Carpenter  bee　熊蜂

Carpenter bee　クマバチ

Two Types of Stink Bugs - Green Stink Bug and Yellow-Spotted Stink Bug チャバネアオカメムシ＆キマダラカメムシ

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

The stink bug season has come😅! I found these two bugs this morning, i.e., a green stink bug (Plautia crossota) and a yellow-spotted stink bug (Erthesina fullo). The green bug (by a one yen coin) started running when I started to photograph it, which was so adorable!! Ten minutes later, I found the yellow-spotted stink bug on a leaf of the Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera). I know stink bugs are stink and harmful to some plants, but still, stink bugs, especially the small green one, are so adorable! 

A green stink bug　 茶羽根青亀虫

A yellow-spotted stink bug　黄斑亀虫

Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo Nucifera) ハス（蓮）

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

I posted photos of lotus flowers when writing about Saidaiji temple and Hasedera temple, but today's focus is the flower, especially the receptacle and the black and green things in the receptacle, i.e., lotus fruits! The fruits are edible, like nuts, and they go well with beer according to a lotus farmer, but they're not known much in Japan. Lotus flowers are pretty, their roots are delicious and the fruits are funnily cute! I love lotuses!   

Lotus receptacles　ハスの花托

Saidaiji Temple and Lotus Flowers 西大寺と蓮の花

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are lotus flowers at Saidaiji Temple. Saidaiji was founded in the eighth century by Empress Shotoku, the daughter of Emperor Shomu—the emperor who founded Todaiji. Meaning 'Great Western Temple' in Japanese, Saidaiji and Todaiji ('Great Eastern Temple') were once considered sister temples. Between the two sat the Heijo Imperial Palace, the capital of Japan from 710 to 784. However, Saidaiji later declined due to natural disasters and lost its influence. As a result, while almost every Japanese person knows Todaiji, very few are familiar with Saidaiji.

As this history suggests, its premises are far smaller than Todaiji's, and there was hardly anyone else there when I visited. The twin temples prompted me to reflect on people and their lives 1,300 years ago.

Saidaiji temple　西大寺

Hasedera Temple and Sacred Lotus Flowers 長谷寺と蓮の花

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is Hasedera Temple. The temple is in a mountainous area in Nara Prefecture, so to reach the main hall, you need to climb up 399 steps (1st and 2nd photos)—but it's totally worthwhile. Stunning views are waiting for you (5th photo)!

The temple is famous for its seasonal flowers. The lotus season was almost over, but there were still a few white and pink lotus flowers (Nelumbo nucifera) left, which made me forget about the heat for a while.

399 stairs from below　階段の下から

A Rainbow View from Nigatsudo, Todaiji Temple 東大寺二月堂から見た虹

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is the view from the balcony of Nigatsudo (the February Hall) at Todaiji Temple in Nara. You can also see Nara City in the distance. That day, I woke up around 4 a.m. (as usual) and decided to walk to the temple to see the sunrise. Unfortunately, the sunrise wasn't visible from there, but instead, I saw this rainbow🌈!

If you ever have the chance to visit Nara, I highly recommend visiting the temple in the early morning. You may even have this view (and the Great South Gate) all to yourself.

A rainbow from the February Hall of Todaiji temple　二月堂から見た虹

Kofukuji Temple and Sarusawa Pond 興福寺と猿沢池

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are photos of Sarusawa Pond and Kofuku-ji Temple in Nara Prefecture, Japan, at sunrise (1st photo) and sunset (2nd photo). The five-story pagoda (last photo) of the temple is currently undergoing large-scale repairs, so I had given up on seeing it. However, I was able to see the pagoda in a nearly perfect form (although the first story was covered by a fence).

Kofuku-ji Temple is one of Japan’s oldest and most famous Buddhist temples, with a history of more than 1,300 years. I definitely recommend visiting the temple, especially to see the pagoda, which the temple once auctioned off for just 25 yen at the time—the equivalent of about 100,000 yen ($930 USD) today! 😲 If you're interested in why the temple did such a crazy thing, read this post!

Sarusawa pond at sunrise 日の出の猿沢池

Japanese Fruit Beetle (Mimela Splendens) 黄金虫（コガネムシ）

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

They're Japanese fruit beetles (Mimela splendens). I noticed at first one of them, then found many hiding in the back behind the leaves.

They'are so beautiful that their Japanese name means golden bugs, but they're harmful, damaging everything around them. You can see the leaves around them being eaten.

Japanese fruit beetle (Mimela splendens)　黄金虫（コガネムシ）

This one is chinning up　懸垂中