Fresh green and spring flowers in Tokyo; April 15-16

The cherry blossom season is finishing. Now, it is the time to enjoy fresh green and various spring flowers in Tokyo.

I had walks in several places in western Tokyo.

The ume (Japanese apricot) trees and the gingko trees now have very fresh leaves in Hanegi Park in Umegaoka. They grow so rapidly. The scene changes day by day. (seee also the top photo)

The tulip trees open new leaves in Kitazawa walking paths. (See the 2nd photo from the top)

The maple trees and others show fresh green at Gotokuji Templs.

There are Japanese zelkova trees in Setagaya Shrine.

There are new grasses grow in the ground. Moss phlox flowers were open in some walking paths.

Various colors of tulip flowers were open at Gotokuji railway station.

Some cherry flowers are still open.

People enjoyed picnic at the side of green grasses and under a cherry tree.

The season is changing from spring to early summer.

I found ducks moving in the creek along a walking path. The fallen cherry flowers were flowing on the water.

The azalea flowers were open around a pond in Enjoin temple.

Cherry blossom@ Chidorigafuchi, Off Imperial Palace, April 6, 2017

The cherry blossom is extraordinary this year in Japan.

Cherry usually opens from southern part of Japan, usually Kyushu and/or Shikoku; and the cherry blossom front moves up to north. This year, however, Tokyo’s cherry opened earliest in the country.

It is explained due to unusual weather this winter, including warm winter and cold March in southern Kyushu area, throughout the nation.

Tokyo’s cherry became full open on April 2^nd.

I visited Chidorigafuchi, one of the most popular cherry blossom spots in Tokyo. It is a part of moats of old Edo Castle, which has turned to the Imperial Palace.

Hundreds of cherry trees were fully open.

Thousands of people were enjoying hanami or flower watching.

They walked along the street. (See also the 2nd photo from the top)

They watched the scenes from the observatory.

The visitors included the old, the young, kids, Japanese and foreign tourists. (See also the 3re photo from the top)

People made a long queue to ride the boats. The boats moved slowly under the pink flowers. (See also the top photo)


With the cherry blossom, we recognize that "it is spring." 

Japanese walnuts products from Iwate: March 15, 2017

Six years have passed after the Great East Japan Earthquake. People in the quake-hit areas -- Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures -- continue to struggle to recover from the damages. Many efforts are being made by NPOs, companies, local communities and individuals.

One of these efforts is Japanese walnuts (wagurumi) project carried out by Save Iwate, a NPO in Iwate Prefecture. I attended an event held in Mejiro, Tokyo, to promote the project.

The project started just after the quake in 2011. There are many Japanese walnuts trees in Iwate Prefecture and people can easily pick up the nuts even if they do not have special tools and skills. It was possible six years ago for those who were severely hit by the quake and tsunami disasters to collects the nuts.

Save Iwate organized a network to buy the walnuts from them.

The question was (is) how to sell the nuts. Japanese walnut has good taste and is believed to be healthier (than western walnuts). However, it is smaller and tougher. It is harder than western walnuts to crack the shell, which leads to be more costly.

One possibility to overcome the problem is to develop more attractive products from the nuts. Save Iwate has developed various products. They include:

Walnuts sweets, Walnuts soft cream,

Walnut liqueur (kurumi no osake)

and many others. The NPO is trying to develop more.

A lunch was served at the event. Japanese walnuts were used in all dishes. (see also the top photo)

Attendants to the event include specialists of the foods, those who are active in the activities to reactivate the local communities, consultants, media persons, and activist in Tohoku reconstruction activities. (see als the second photo from the top)

Please also visit
Six yeras after the quake (March 11, 2017)
Save Iwate @ Morioka, Sanriku Coast
3 years after the quake @ Iwate
Four and half years after the quake (Oct. 31- Nov.1, 2015)
Autumn scenes @ Iwate (Oct.31-Nov.1, 2015) 

Kamaishi and Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture (Aug. 20-21, 2016)

6 years after the quake @Ginza: March 11, 2017

Six years have passed after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Nearly 20 thousands of people were killed or went missing by the disaster. More than 400 thousands of people were forced to live in temporary houses away from their hometowns.

Today, 123 thousands people still live in temporary houses. No concrete plans are made to decommission the damaged nuclear reactors at Fukushima Nuclear Power Station 1.

There appeared a display on the building in Ginza to commemorate the disaster.

A red line is drawn horizontally at 16.3 meter high. It is the highest level of the tsunami which attacked Ofunato city in Iwate Prefecture six years ago.

Please also visit
Save Iwate @ Morioka, Sanriku Coast
3 years after the quake @ Iwate
Four and half years after the quake (Oct. 31- Nov.1, 2015)
Autumn scenes @ Iwate (Oct.31-Nov.1, 2015) 

Kamaishi and Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture (Aug. 20-21, 2016)

Ume Blossom: February 11-12, 2017

Ume (Japanese apricot) stated to blossom.

I visited Hanegi Park in Umegaoka. There are more than 600 ume trees in the park.

They opened white and red flowers. It smelled well.

There were lot of visitors. They took photos of the flower.

The Ume festival was held at the season.

Families enjoyed picnic there.

I also visited Gotokuji temple.

Several ume trees opened flowers in the garden. (see also the top photo) 

Mount Fuji (off Tokyo): Jan.7-22, 2017

I had occasions to visit Shizuoka Prefecture. I could enjoy various scenes of Mt. Fuji from towns and through the window of Shinkansen Bullet train.

It is a scene from Shinkansen in Fuji City. Mt. Fuji stands behind the rice field, the tee garden, towns and factories. (see also the 2nd and 3rd photos from the top) 

Mt. Fuji over the Fujikawa River is wonderful. (See the top photo)

The scene is from Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture. It is the eastern side of Mr. Fuji.

The southeastern side of the mountain is seen from Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture.

New year’s visits to shrines and temples: Jan.1-4, 2017

A new year began. I visited shrines and temples to make wished for the coming year.

Rokusho Shrine is a small shrine in Setagaya ward and it is usually uncrowded.

On January 1^st, I saw many people in a queue to make prays.

Gotokuji Temple was also crowded on the same day. (see also the 2nd photo from the top)

The temple is famous as a place where the lucky cat legend was made. Many lucky cats are placed here after being used as the guards of the houses and stores. People not only prayed at the temple, but also made visits to the lucky cats.

Yoyogi Hashiman Shrine in Shibuya ward is one of popular shrines in Tokyo. I visited there on January 3^rd. (see also the top photo)

People made a long line.

I also visited Setagaya Hachiman Shrine. A photo place was arranged for the visitors.

I got a feeling that the number of new year’s visitors to shrines and temples are increasing year by year. It may be because the number of old people are increasing. I am not sure.