Name That Flower

Anyone know what it is? Click on the photo to enlarge.

New Traffic Lights

On one side of the street, they were almost finished putting in a traffic light. Click to enlarge.

On the other side, they were still working on the foundation of the light.

The workers dug the hole. The dirt was put on a piece of cloth and a net. There was a cable running through the net and hooks on the corners. Perhaps the dirt will be lifted with the crane.

Noren

Look over the gate. The front door is open because it is a really hot day. There is no screen. There is a blue cloth hanging in the doorway. That is a noren. Noren are sometimes hung in doorways inside the house, too. Or in shops.

Wooden Insects

This is our omiage, souvenirs, from our trip to the Ninja Park in Nagano Prefecture. They were slipped into these paper bags. Click to enlarge and you can see the little ninjas on the bags.

This is a bamboo cicada. Hold the stick and twirl. As the cicada spins, it sounds like a cicada.

This is a dragonfly on a painted bamboo stem. It's just a decoration.

The Real Thing

This is one of the many kinds of dragonflies here. Click on the label below to see other pictures.

This is a cicada. It was sitting on a piece of plastic that I was drying on the balcony. I took many pictures of the cicada. I moved the plastic around to different angles. The cicada never moved. I was carrying it into the house to take more pictures of it under better light and all of sudden it spun around and flew away. I thought it was dead!

Two Spiders

 

We can't find the names of these spiders.

Its back.

Its belly. Click to enlarge to see its jaws.

Another Morning, More To Enjoy

These morning glories are on our balcony. (We live on the second floor.) The picture was taken while standing in the roof garden on the third floor. These are Japanese morning glories.

Baba's towels hanging in the morning sun. A blanket is below the balcony.

This caterpillar was eating the taro (satoimo) down the street! We can't find him in our book so we don't know what kind of butterfly or moth he will be.

Let Us Enjoy the Morning Glories!

The morning glories are finally blooming and doing well.

At first glance.

But looking more closely, you can see that something is eating some of them!

Here's the pest! It's a male. He's called shouryou (long "o") battamodoki. Batta is grasshopper in Japanese. His name is gonista bicolor in Latin.

Morning glories close in the afternoon, but we'd like to enjoy them as long as possible. I left him alone, though. Click to enlarge the pictures.

Water Between Glass

This is the window of a hair salon. The picture is not very good. The water was moving or running downward. It looked really cool. The curtains were drawn because the sun was so bright. I'll go back again to take another picture. Click to enlarge.

Pizza Pick-Up

I've posted several pizza delivery motorbikes. Here's a shop where pizza is made. You may recognize the name. You can walk in off the street (or park your bike outside), order pizza, and wait for it. There's even a chair inside on the right. You take the pizza home yourself.

Notice all the English?

Nashi Stand

Every summer, a stand is built on this corner. Asian pear apples or nashi are sold here. Click to enlarge.

Summer Homework

 

Japanese students have summer homework. After their summer holiday, they go back to the same class. The school year starts in April and ends in March.

Part of Little Brother's sixth grade homework was to make miso soup and rice. Here it is. He measured and washed the rice. He measured the cooking water and turned on the rice cooker. He cut tofu and leek leaves for the miso soup. Check the link below to see how to make miso soup.

Kids Web Japan--Making Miso Soup and Rice

An Old Design in An Old Stone Wall

Click to enlarge. We were in the car when I saw this garden wall. I have never seen this design for a garden wall vent. It is shaped like a fan.

Crossing the Train Tracks

A new overpass was built over the train tracks.

The road used to go under the train tracks.

Along the side of the overpass, a crossing was made for people who are walking or riding bicycles. Poles were placed in the middle so that people wouldn't ride their bicycles down the ramp.

The steps aren't very steep so they are easy to climb.

This metal wall was built to block the construction under the overpass.