These are tricyrtis macropoda and tricyrtis formosana 'samurai' (maybe....😅). I saw the first one at Mukojima Hyakkaen Garden and the second in my neighborhood both in Tokyo.
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| Tricyrtis macropoda ヤマホトトギス |
Two Tricyrtis and Three Samurai Lords ホトトギス２種
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
These are tricyrtis macropoda and tricyrtis formosana 'samurai' (maybe....😅). I saw the first one at Mukojima Hyakkaen Garden and the second in my neighborhood both in Tokyo.
These are tricyrtis macropoda and tricyrtis formosana 'samurai' (maybe....😅). I saw the first one at Mukojima Hyakkaen Garden and the second in my neighborhood both in Tokyo.
Ginkgo or Passion Flower - That's the Question イチョウの花、トケイソウの花
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
What's this? A ginkgo flower? To me, it looks like a passiflora caerulea or common passion flower...
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| It's among ginkgo leaves イチョウの葉の間に発見 |
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| The only flower.... これ一つ｡｡｡ |
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| Ginkgo tree and fruit 銀杏の実 |
I couldn't first believe my eyes. It was like a passion flower or "clock flower" in Japanese. I googled to find out what this flower was, but only found that ginkgo flowers, male or female, did not look like this at all.
Ginkgo always reminds me of a former coworker, an American very popular among women. On that day, we came back to the office from a client, finding ginkgo trees with leaves turned into beautiful golden yellow but with no nuts and therefore which didn't stink. This means that all these trees were male. When I said that, he was so amazed, so I went on to ask, "Would you be sad if you had no women around you?" I knew that he thought he was attractive, and I do not like such men.....😁
Raw ginkgo nuts stink, but are delicious once roasted and of course go well with beer, highball, wine and sake😆 Autumn has come with many seasonal foods!!
Ginkgo always reminds me of a former coworker, an American very popular among women. On that day, we came back to the office from a client, finding ginkgo trees with leaves turned into beautiful golden yellow but with no nuts and therefore which didn't stink. This means that all these trees were male. When I said that, he was so amazed, so I went on to ask, "Would you be sad if you had no women around you?" I knew that he thought he was attractive, and I do not like such men.....😁
Raw ginkgo nuts stink, but are delicious once roasted and of course go well with beer, highball, wine and sake😆 Autumn has come with many seasonal foods!!
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近所で見かけました。何の花に見えますか。私には時計草にしか見えません。でもこれはイチョウの木｡｡｡ 家でググったのですが結局分かりませんでした｡｡｡
イチョウといえば臭い｡｡｡ 昔、同僚とオフィスに戻った時のことです。会社の近くにイチョウ並木があり黄金色の花がとてもきれい。全く臭くなかったので何気に「ギンナンがないってことはこの辺の木は全部オスなんですね」と言ったらえらく感動されたので、さらに「メスがいないと寂しいでしょうね」と言ったらどぎまぎしてました。自分はイケテルという自覚が非常に強い方でした😁
秋です。食欲の秋です。ギンナンでチクッといきたいです😆
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Snake Gourd and Bottle Gourd 蛇瓜（ヘビウリ）と瓢箪
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
Wow!! It's long, isn't it? This is a snake gourd I saw at Mukojima Hykkaen Garden, Tokyo.
Wow!! It's long, isn't it? This is a snake gourd I saw at Mukojima Hykkaen Garden, Tokyo.
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| Looks like a snake! 確かに蛇！ |
Prime Minister Suga is "Uncle Pancake"! 菅首相はパンケーキおじさん！
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
This is a "pancake" I found on the ground😁 Oops sorry! This is a mushroom I found at Mukojima Hykkaen Garden, Tokyo.
This is a "pancake" I found on the ground😁 Oops sorry! This is a mushroom I found at Mukojima Hykkaen Garden, Tokyo.
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| A pancake with melted butter and maple syrup? バターとメープルシロップたっぷりパンケーキ？ |
Is New Japanese Prime Minister Abe's Ex-"Wife"? 菅は安倍の「女房」？
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
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| If you want to know why Columbo, read through this post! なぜコロンボ？ |
If you like, or are interested in, Japan, you may know that Yoshihide Suga was elected as the new Japanese prime minister a few days ago, but do you know that Suga was the "wife" of Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister?
Of course, Suga was not Abe's real wife but was the chief cabinet secretary or "nyoubou" or "wife" of prime minister under the Abe administration.
The chief cabinet secretary is equivalent to the US White House chief of staff, and both Japanese chief cabinet secretary and US White House chief of staff support the leader of each country, but why called "wife" only in Japan?
Aulacophora Nigripennis on Bottle Gourd クロウリハムシとヘチマ
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
I've been observing trees which I believe are bottle gourd for the last month to obtain evidence that they are really bottle gourd, not other gourds, such as cucumber, pumpkin or zucchini, and a few days ago, at last, I've got evidence, i.e., two bottle gourds hanging from one of the trees! And I also found this tiny but beautiful black and orange bug, Aulacophora nigripennis.
I can't explain why but wanted badly evidence that they were really bottle gourd, but couldn't get any proof for more than a month, just finding yellow flowers, but it was worth to wait!! The 1cm bug holding on to the yellow bud was so kawaii!! 😊
I've been observing trees which I believe are bottle gourd for the last month to obtain evidence that they are really bottle gourd, not other gourds, such as cucumber, pumpkin or zucchini, and a few days ago, at last, I've got evidence, i.e., two bottle gourds hanging from one of the trees! And I also found this tiny but beautiful black and orange bug, Aulacophora nigripennis.
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| Aulacophora nigripennis on bottle gourd bud ヘチマのつぼみとクロウリハムシ |
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| One of the bottle gourds I found 見つけたヘチマの一つ |
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| The other one 二本目 |
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| Bottle gourd flower へちまの花 |
I can't explain why but wanted badly evidence that they were really bottle gourd, but couldn't get any proof for more than a month, just finding yellow flowers, but it was worth to wait!! The 1cm bug holding on to the yellow bud was so kawaii!! 😊
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ウリ科の花は似ています。だからこの花もへちまと信じつつ、証拠をずっと探してました（つまり実がなるのを待ってました）。そして昨日やっと２本のヘチマを発見。しかもちっちゃい虫も！
クロウリハムシというそうです。害虫だそうですがしがみついている姿がカワイイ😊です。
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Inro (Medicine Case) 菊花蝶象嵌印籠
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
This white case, 6cm long and 3cm wide, is an "inro" or medicine case with chrysanthemum and butterfly design made in the 19th century in Japan. This is Shibayama inlay, a lacquer art form distinguished by high relief carved inlays made from shell, coral, tortoiseshell, and ivory.
This white case, 6cm long and 3cm wide, is an "inro" or medicine case with chrysanthemum and butterfly design made in the 19th century in Japan. This is Shibayama inlay, a lacquer art form distinguished by high relief carved inlays made from shell, coral, tortoiseshell, and ivory.
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| Inro (medicine case) with chrysanthemum and butterfly design 菊花蝶象嵌印籠 |
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| Gorgeous medicine case! 豪華！ |
"Inro" is no longer used and is known as art or an ID of Mitsukuni Tokugawa (1628 - 1701) in "Mito Kōmon," a Japanese drama of the early Edo period.
In the drama, Mitsukuni, a former vice-shogun, travels across the country with his followers in the guise of a retired owner of an apparel store in the Niigata prefecture. He finds in every episode injustice perpetrated by corrupt officials, wealthy merchants and/or gangsters and punishes these bad guys using his inro with mallow design, which reveals his identity. The use of mallow design for a family crest was only allowed for the Tokugawa family during the Edo period.
This drama has a very famous line, "Can’t you see this family crest of mallow on the inro!! This is former vice-shogun Mitsukuni Tokugawa! Bow your heads! Down on your knees!" This is so famous in Japan (and funny😁 to me) that even those who've never watched this show must recognize this line.
Inro itself is just a medicine case, generally used with netsuke as shown in the picture below I found at Tokyo National Museum. Now with this easy-to-understand drawing, you see how to wear an inro and a netsuke!
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| How to wear inro and netsuke 印籠と根付の使い方 |
Japanese no longer use inro or netsuke in daily lives, but they are the beautiful embodiment of the spirit of Japanese manufacturing elevated to the level of art. I hope as many people as possible, not only Japanese but others, to appreciate their beauty and craftsmanship!!
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「菊花蝶象嵌印籠 根付線刻銘『芝山作』（19世紀）」です。「菊花蝶象嵌印籠」はまだ理解できるのですが「芝山って何？」と思って調べたところ、「レリーフ状の彫刻と象嵌を特徴とした華やかな装飾技法」だとのこと。華やかかつ精巧です。
印籠といって思い出すのは何といっても「水戸黄門」。印籠というとそのイメージしかなかったのですが、先日たまたま、東京国立博物館で印籠と根付の使い方を描いた絵を発見！言葉より絵で見ると一発です。
印籠にせよ根付にせよ、職人の技術の粋の結晶であり、「日本のものづくり精神」を体現したもの。その美しさにいつも頭が下がります。
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Sontaku - We Trust You to Wear Mask... 忖度 - マスクしてね！
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
On September 7, a man was removed from a flight in Japan. He refused a "request" from the airline to wear a mask, resulting in a heated argument with flight attendants.
I said "request" because Japan has no law or rule enforcing wearing masks in any place, so what the man did (i.e., choosing not to wear a mask) does not breach any law or rule. The same applies to restaurants in Central Tokyo open after 10 p.m. The Tokyo local government has requested bars and restaurants to close at 10 p.m. or before, but again it's not enforceable but just a request.
On September 7, a man was removed from a flight in Japan. He refused a "request" from the airline to wear a mask, resulting in a heated argument with flight attendants.
I said "request" because Japan has no law or rule enforcing wearing masks in any place, so what the man did (i.e., choosing not to wear a mask) does not breach any law or rule. The same applies to restaurants in Central Tokyo open after 10 p.m. The Tokyo local government has requested bars and restaurants to close at 10 p.m. or before, but again it's not enforceable but just a request.
Ofuku (Netsuke) & Okonomiyaki (Japanese Savory Pancake) 阿福（根付）とオタフクソース
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
This 3cm sculpture is netsuke carved from ivory titled "Ofuku." Ofuku is the female version of comical Japanese character with large cheeks and a joyful smile, often portrayed in the form of mask used in traditional Japanese theater, such as noh, bunraku and kyogen.
This 3cm sculpture is netsuke carved from ivory titled "Ofuku." Ofuku is the female version of comical Japanese character with large cheeks and a joyful smile, often portrayed in the form of mask used in traditional Japanese theater, such as noh, bunraku and kyogen.
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| Netsuke - design of Ofuku mask, ivory, 19 century 阿福面牙彫根付 19世紀 |
These terms, Ofuku, Otafuku and Okame, are so common in Japan that they are included in names of various things, including Okame parakeet or (O)fuku beans, but what is most relevant to me is Otafuku sauce, a special sauce for okonomiyaki in the Hiroshima prefecture.
Okonomiyaki is Japanese savory pancake containing a variety of ingredients and there are in general two styles, Osaka and Hiroshima.
The Osaka style is made from wheat-flour-based batter which is mixed with all ingredients, while for the Hiroshima style, all the ingredients have to be layered, i.e., the batter has to be first put on a hotplate, then dried bonito flakes, sliced cabbage, bean sprouts, sliced green onions, slices of pork and an egg (if you like) and some batter to hold all these ingredients together. It also requires some skills as these layers have to be flipped twice before being eaten. (I can do that😏!) Otafuku sauce is special sauce for the Hiroshima style okonomiyaki.
If you are on a diet, I would definitely recommend the Hiroshima one! It's filling with a lot of vegetables, but the Osaka one is yummy, too, more like pizza. I love both!😋
You can see this Ofuku netsuke at Tokyo National Museum. If you want to see other netsuke items, read the following posts, too!
- Symbol of Peace? - Netsuke & Halloween
- Japanese Saying: Netsuke Titled "A-Hum"!
- Netsuke - Japanese Lovelorn Ghost Puts a Curse Saying "Urameshiya..."
- Kawaii Two-Legged Yokai Goblin Netsuke Sculpture
- Kawaii Netsuke Jedi
- Watermelon Netsuke Carving With Makie Lacquer Painting
- Netsuke - Jurojin God
- Netsuke - Dog Days
- Netsuke - Muskmelon
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「阿福面牙彫根付（19世紀）」です。「阿福」、「お福」、「お多福」、「お亀」って同じ意味だそうです。
お多福といえば（私にとっては）オタフクソース。広島生まれ、育ちの母が子供の頃よく広島風お好み焼きを手際よく作ってくれました。私もちゃんとひっくり返せます😏！
広島風の方が野菜取れるな｡｡｡と思いつつ、大阪風は（いい意味で！）ジャンクぽくって好き。両方とも大好きです😋！
この阿福根付は、東京国立博物館で見ることができます。根付にご興味ある方は是非、以下の記事もお読みください。
- 根付って面白い！
- うらめしや～
- 妖怪二本足
- スイカの蒔絵根付
- みんな寿老神！
- 根付 - 猛暑
- 根付 - メロン
- 根付 - ボス
- 根付 - 福禄寿
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Japanese "Cup" Sake - "Shinomine (Nara)" and "Bikini Girl (Aomori)"
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
I'm Japanese, but didn't like cold Japanese sake. It was too sweet for me😱. But the extreme heat wave this summer and these cute and unique labels have changed me, giving me the ability to appreciate the taste of rice fermented alcohol!!
I'm Japanese, but didn't like cold Japanese sake. It was too sweet for me😱. But the extreme heat wave this summer and these cute and unique labels have changed me, giving me the ability to appreciate the taste of rice fermented alcohol!!
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| Japanese "cup sake" カップ酒 |
Bug, Bug, Bug!! 虫がいっぱい！
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
I see flowers everyday, but most of them are dying or dead. Instead, I've seen many bugs recently, some also dead while others moving or eating ....
I see flowers everyday, but most of them are dying or dead. Instead, I've seen many bugs recently, some also dead while others moving or eating ....
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| Attached to leaf, it's dead この姿勢で死んでます |
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投稿 (Atom)
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...
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英語の後に日本語が続きます。 This is the best shot I could get. It's a female Joro spider, I think. I noticed her spider web first several months ago ... -
英語の後に日本語が続きます。 I often mistake horseflies for bees, but I believe this is a bee, maybe a bumblebee!!?? If so, it's my first time to see ...