First Visit of the Year

We go to Fugakusan-Shoraku-in Jindaiji (we call it Jindaiji) on the third day of every new year. I hang out there and in the botanical gardens throughout the year. It is only a 15 minute bus ride away. It is just one of many places in the area where we can be surrounded by nature.

Ume

This section of Jindai Botanical Gardens is devoted to ume or plum blossom trees.

This poor tree needs help to stand.

It's split,

but it still blooms.

Tree Cover

Not sure what is under these.

Winter Shelter

At Jindai Botanical Gardens, some of the plants were covered with straw.

This little hut shelters a peony.

Here's another hut under a bigger hut. There were peonies on display.

This blocks the sun on some pansies. I'm not sure why except that the sun is pretty warm sometimes even in February.

Summer Gourds at Jindai Botanical Gardens

This gourd is so heavy it needs a sling!

This is the name plate for the gourd in the photo above. The first symbol is kanji for dai, tai or ookii which means "big". The rest of the name is written in hiragana and can be transcribed as daruma hyotan (long o).

The name plate says that these gourds are called tsuru kubi hyotan (long o).

Kids Web Japan-- hiragana
Kids Web Japan-- kanji

Another Gourd

This was big.

Kanpyo.

Vehicle

I saw this at Jindai Botanical Gardens today.

You can't tell how big it is

until someone sits in it! Click to enlarge the photo.

A Confused Sakura Tree and other fall scenes

This sakura tree was blooming! It's early or late. They are supposed to bloom in spring.

This is pampas grass and a flower that looks like clematis. It was on a stalk, though. Clematis blooms on vines.

Pampas grass.

Stripped Bark

I didn't know crape myrtle trees do this. It looks like they shed their skin at the end of summer. All of them had strips of barking hanging from their branches and on the ground around their trunks.

We usually visit these trees in the winter at Jindai Botanical Gardens. Then they are bare of leaves and their branches and trunks look smooth and slippery. Crape myrtle is called "monkey slip" (or slide) in Japanese. These photos were taken September 10th.

May We Have Your Attention

Bamboo strips and a sign mark a spot of interest at Jindai Botanical Gardens. That's a light post in the center. It's pretty typical of light posts here. The sign says to look closely on the ground.

Here's a closer look. "X" almost marks the spot. That's a little mushroom peeking out around the knot tied around the bamboo. There's another mushroom on the right. People did stop and gather around to look at them.

This mushroom was in another area. It's camouflaged. It looks like the log that it's sitting beside. There was no marker for this one. It went unnoticed even though it was spotlighted by the sun.

These photos were taken on the 10th when it was sunny. It is typhoon season. It is rainy and unusually cold today in Tokyo.

Lilies in the Field

Actually, they're in a forest. These pictures were taken the 10th so they may have bloomed by now. So, I've missed them. Perhaps we all have. It's been raining a lot lately. It is typhoon season.

It's nice to think about all these lilies blooming in a small forest in Tokyo, though. Especially since we've had so much rain. At least it's been cool!

Their name is cardiocrinum cordatum. Wonder what color they are. Look it up!

Camouflage

Can you see what's there? Someone almost sat down here.

This feral calico cat did not stir. It's not unusual to see cats in the Jindai Botanical Gardens. Calico cats are not common here, though. Elizabeth Coatsworth wrote about one in The Cat Who Went to Heaven. It's a nice story set in Japan. It's one of our favorites. The author said three colored cats were considered lucky. This cat was fortunate to have a safe place in the sun and in the shade.

This picture was taken on the 10th. It was a beautiful bright day. It drizzled all day today.