The Ring Finger's Fault 薬指が悪いんです。。。

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Everyone has made at least one (or maybe even hundreds of!) spelling errors in their life. I'm no exception. I misspelled "mouth" as "month" in a post about netsuke sculpture and was unaware of it until it was pointed out by a kind reader. I always perform a spell check before publishing posts or submitting documents to clients at work. However, because writing "month" instead of "mouth" isn't a misspelling but a misuse of words, it went through the spell check without being detected.

Exquisite Chinese Ornaments of Three Kingdoms 中国美術の繊細さ

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

Crown decorated with cicada design

I want to show you two items currently on view in the Three Kingdoms exhibition held in the Tokyo National Museum.

One is a 5cm wide 5cm tall, gold and bronze made crown in the above photo. The color is so beautiful and its cicada design, usual for Chinese bronzeware, is so exquisite.

Money tree

The other is "Money tree," a two meter high bronze made tree, decorated with more than 400 bronze coins. Despite the name, the tree has some kind of religious (not financial) significance.

Both embody delicate and exquisite beauty with many similarities to ancient Japanese ornaments.

東京国立博物館の三国志展に行ってきました。展示物が多かったので、自分の好みで二つ紹介します。

上の写真は「蟬文冠飾」という天子や重臣の装飾具。下は「揺銭樹」で英語では「Money tree」と言いますが、宗教的な意味合いを持つ装飾具だそうです。

両方とも、とっても繊細でした。。。

What's Your Name, Kung Fu Buddha? 仏様、お名前は?

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


What do you think it is? I found this 15cm to 20cm tall Buddha in the Tokyo National Museum. It was between an old plaque and an old mirror which were made from the 10th to 12th century and found in Tenkawa village, Nara prefecture, but there was no description of this kung-fu kicking Buddha.

So, hey Buddha, I'm gonna name you "Kung Fu Buddha"!

A curator said that a description of the Buddha is missing and that they're waiting for re-issuance. If you are in Tokyo or considering coming to Japan, don't miss the chance to meet him!!

東京国立博物館に行ってきました。そこの本館で見つけました。ムムム!奈良県天川村で発見された銅板と鏡の間にあったのですが、このちっちゃい(15cm~20cmぐらい)仏さまに関しては何の説明もなし。確認したところ、おそらく漏れてしまい(なくしてしまい)、再発行を依頼しているとのこと。

でもこのとぼけた顔可愛いでしょ。一見の価値ありです!

Simultaneous Interpreting, Skiing and Yakuza 同時通訳とスキーと褒め殺し

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

A couple of weeks ago, I interpreted for the first time in a while. I used to do that every day, but not anymore. One of the directors, who's joined the company just recently, doesn't speak Japanese at all and needed someone translating through a two-hour internal meeting simultaneously, so I interpreted for him using a technique called "whispering," a form of simultaneous interpreting.

Flowers in May - Foxgloves and Hot Lips ジギタリス&チェリーセージ

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

Someone named "rieo" wrote a comment on a post about flowers whose names I don't know published last week and I learned the names of two flowers.

The flowers in the picture below are foxgloves or digitalis purpurea. I hadn't heard of foxgloves, but had heard of digitalis. They were used to kill someone in Agatha Christie's stories, a favorite author of mine, if I remember correctly... They are so beautiful, but poisonous like some women......

Digitalis

The flowers on the right in the picture below (i.e., red and white ones) are cherry sage or hot lips. They are also beautiful, lovely and cute, aren't they! Unfortunately, the pink and purple flowers on the left couldn't be identified.
Still unidentified & hot lips

先日お花について書いたら、コメントをいただき、花の名前を教えていただきました。

上の写真の花はジギタリスだとのこと。確か、クリスティーの小説で毒殺に使われていたのでびっくり。こんなにきれいな花だったんですね。

下の写真の右の花(赤と白の花)はチェリーセージまたはホットリップス。可愛いですよね。

rieoさん、ありがとうございました。一つ賢くなりました!

Flowers in May 名もなき花ですが。。。

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



Recently flowers have drawn my attention more than ever. I realized their beauty and liveliness first at Kyoto botanical garden and again in my neighborhood while walking. 

I found these flowers on the street. These flowers, whose names I don't know, were so beautiful that I just stopped and stared at them for a while. 

5月ってこんなに植物がきれいだったんですね。京都府立植物園で初めてそのことに気づき、そして先週東京でも。。。名前分かりませんが思わず立ち止まって見入ってしまいました。

Nara - Byakugouji Temple 白毫寺

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

Byakugoji temple
Nara prefecture

This is Byakugoji Temple (白毫寺) in Nara. I had first planned to go to Shin Yakushiji Temple (新薬師寺), but found this temple on a map and changed the plan and that was a success!

It's located on a small mountain or hill, so you have to walk first to arrive at the entrance and then climb to the top of the hill to enjoy a view of the entire Nara city, but it's worth it.

The temple is famous for five-color Japanese camellias (goshiki tsubaki), but their season was over and instead I enjoyed fringed irises or butterfly flowers. 

Iris japonica, fringed irises, butterfly flowers or shaga

Nara city from Byakugoji temple

新薬師寺に行くつもりが、地図で白毫寺を見つけたので予定変更。でも行った甲斐はありました。

高い所にあるので眺めが最高。かつ、このシャガというお花もきれい。冬は「五色椿」 で有名ですが、シャガもとっても可憐でした。

奈良に行ったら東大寺とか春日大社だけでなく、白毫寺にもぜひ立ち寄ってみてください!

Kyoto Botanical Garden 京都府立植物園

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

Fuchsia Lonora

Fuchsia My Fair Lady

Fuchsia Looks

Fuchsia Golden Dawn

Fuchsia Winzewrin

Fuchsia Looks

Fuchsia Jack Shahan

Fuchsia Angels Earrings

Fuchsia Lena

Fuchsia Happy

Fuchsia Mrs. Minnie Pugh

Fuchsia Display

Fuchsia Harbour Bridge

I went to Kyoto Botanical Garden a few days ago. The garden held a special exhibition of fuchsia flowers. I'm not interested in plants, just wanting to kill time, but found these! How beautiful and lively these two-tone-color fuchsia flowers are! Please enjoy these Fuchsias "Lonora," "My Fair Lady," "Winzewrin," "Golden Dawn," "Looks," "Jack Shahan," "Angels Earrings," "Lena," "Happy," "Mrs. Minnie Pugh," "Display," and "Harbour Bridge"!

京都府立植物園に行きました。 何の期待もせずに行ったのですが Wow! フクシアという花を初めて知りました。

Tulips are Also in Bloom! 桜だけじゃないですよ!

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

So colorful and powerful, aren't they! People in Japan talk about only cherry blossoms from late March through early April, but don't forget that tulips are also in bloom. 

Cherry blossoms make me aware of ephemerality of life, but these tulips' bright colors gave me vitality and energy. 

銀座の道路脇にチューリップを見つけました。あまりの鮮やかさにしばし見とれてしまいました。最近弱っているのでエネルギーもらいました!

Common Straight Swift (Parnara Guttata) イチモンジセセリ(一文字挵)

英語の後に日本語が続きます。 The common straight swift (Parnara guttata) is found across Japan, where it is a much-loved insect. While moths usually open ...