Dragon in the West

Papa says it may have been some debris from the Russian satellite returning to earth. It could have been an earthquake cloud. I think it's a lone dragon cloud like the ones I saw in November. I noticed it as I was walking to the store. I took this photo at 4:53 today with my iphone.

Dragons in the Sky

Lots of dragons in the sky yesterday at sunset. Look at the shape of some of the clouds. This is the view from our roof garden toward the northeast. Looks like fire in the clouds. (Click on the photos to enlarge them.)

This is southeast. The skies were clear above our house! I had a rooftop view of other people's weather.

More Climbing at Showa Kinen Koen

Near the Dragon Sand Mountain, there was this replica of a Mayan Temple. There were food stalls all around, but in this picture they were closing and cleaning up.

There was also a grassy knoll. That's a bench made out of pieces of pottery or tile.

There were stairs up the grassy knoll. At the top of the stairs was a huge replica of the moon. You can walk around the moon and look out on the park.

There were several small bubbles along the railing of the stairs. This one had two squirrels eating.

Showa Kinen Koen

Temple in a Small Town in Niigata Prefecture

Before standing in front of the temple to pray, you wash your hands here. There is watering flowing from the head of a dragon at the base of the statue into a huge hollowed stone. The water is flowing over the sides of the stone between the moss.



This is a candlebra next to the place to wash your hands. There are two of these on either side of the stone basin. If I had moved the camera a little to the right I would've gotten the head of the dragon. I was too busy talking to my friend! In Tokyo, if I mess up a picture I can just go back and take another one. I have to be more attentive when I'm traveling.



I was standing at the water basin looking down toward the path people take from the entrance to wash their hands before praying. The big white structures were put there for obon . They represent candles. The names of people who donated money are written on them.



This is the temple. People stand at the bottom of the stairs at the entrance, ring the bell, and pray. There are the white "candles" along the front for obon.





There is a trail of thirty prayer sites on this hill behind and above the main temple. At each one you can use a stamp like this one.

School Days: The Sewing Box

The tera tera bozu didn't work. It rained today so Sports Day was cancelled. Students had to stay at school for a regular school day (but with an obentou or boxed lunch). Little Brother came home with this, too. It is the sewing box that fifth graders ordered a few weeks ago. He chose the carrying case that says "Fantasy of the Flying Dragon".

We ordered each of the contents in the plastic box individually. There are needles, thread, pins and a pin cushion, scissors, a seam ripper, a tape measure, a ruler, and pink and blue charcoal sewing pencils that have their own carrying case and sharpener. At least the fifth graders had something exciting today. He said they practiced threading a needle.