Isuien Garden in Nara

My uncle sent this picture.

Mt. Kasuga and Mikasa This temple is Todaiji.

Sentokun
This is a Heijo-kyo's character called Sentokun. I think it is a strange character. He is a boy with two deer horns.
We say he is kimokawaii. kimokawaii consists of two Japanese words 'Kimoi' and 'kawaii'.
It means ugly and cute. You think why he has two deer horns.
There are a lot of deer in Nara park.

Plus, you shouldn't use kimokawaii to people. Especially the young ladies.
　

Heijo-kyo Capital
Now There are a lot of events for the 1300th Anniversary of Nara Heijo-kyo Capital. If you come over to Japan, you should go to Nara prefecture. And it is nice season on May.
June is rainy season. Also summer season is very humid in Japan.

Actually If you have free days of weekdays, I will go to trip Nara. Maybe it is very crowded on holidays.

Suzakumon
photographer is my uncle in Nara

Hyakunin Isshu
(play the card game of the one hundred famous poems)

There are one hundred waka poem cards based on Ogura Hyakunin-isshu, a famous poetry anthology selected by Fujiwarano Teika in the Heian period.We play this old card game in New Year's Holidays with family.
It is Heian period about 1,100 years ago.

Waka (poetry)

Inishie no Nara no miyako no Yae-zakura

Kyo kokonoe ni Nioi nuru kana

in English

The double cherry blossoms are smelling sweet in bloom today in the imperial Court in Kyoto(Heian) as well as long ago in the ancient capital in Nara.

Nara was ancient capital 1300 years ago. There is "Celebrating the 1300th anniversary of Nara Heijo-kyo Capital in 2010" this year.

Yae-zakura in NaraMy uncle lives in Nara. He sent me pictures yesterday.

Japanese　autumn in Nara

Rickshaw

I wrote abut a Ecologically-friendly car. So my uncle sent this picture for me. He lives in Nara, which is very historical city. I have ever seen this in our town whose roads are very busy.

Jay said

"I don't know if I could ride in one of those. I'd feel guilty about making somebody haul me around. Even if I was paying him to do it."

But if we go to some sightseeing areas in Japan, you are asked to ride it.

For me we have ever ridden it. I think it is a little expensive. We just walk by ourself.

Spring or Fall
Which do you like spring or fall ?
In Japan spring is cherry blossoms season. It is very beatiful. If you come over to Japan, you should come in April. And you go to notrh Japan of Tokyo. You will continue to enjoy cherry blossoms. But it is a hey fever season. I'm having a runny nose and very itchy eyes . Also in Japan schools start from April.

The other hand, turn leaves are very beautiful. My uncle took these pictures in Nara. We feel like something. (Do you say melancholy or sad??)
Because leaves fall off the trees. So winter is coming. It is dark just about 5:00PM. When I come back to my house and I pick up him from his preschool, I recognize this year is almost over.
Anyway in Japan you enjoys a lot of foods in fall.

For me, acutually I like summer! Of course I like spring, if I do not have hay fever.

Hinamatsuri
I am so busy, we can't decorated dolls this March. So my uncle sent this picture.
Hinamatsuri is the Doll’s Festival which is Japanese traditional custom for girls.
It is March third.
I have only sons. I want to have really girls.

People in the past said, if you don't put your dolls into boxs early after the doll's festival, you can't not get marry.

Actually, I got marry late. But I could get marry.
*My dolles.

My uncle's persimmons (Fuyu Kaki) in his garden
My uncle who lives in Nara sent me this photograph.
He was surprised you knew about "Fuyu Kaki".
Crows like ripe persimmons. My uncle takes persimmons and crows pick persimmons. They are competing for taking persimmons now.

a vegetable local shop

late in the fall

astringent persimmons

My uncle lives Nara. He sent it me.
I think the scenery is beautiful Japan.

This is fish called SANMA.
SANMA is just as nice as the other fish in fall.
(I want to say it is very nice.)

Japanese persimmon

It is substantially more different of the astringent persimmons .

Today, I try to use "modifiers". When you compare two things, you can vary or adjust your statements by using modifiers:
I might mistake...

Autumn and the beginning of winter in Japan
Time flies.
Winter comes again in Japan. Our sons are considering about their Christmas presents.

Five-story pagoda at Kōfuku-ji in Nara

Ukimido and Sagi-ike in Nara.

Nara VS Rothenburg
My uncle is worried about our historical cities have a lot of electrical cables. We can't keep the scenery of old cities. We should have made underground utility lines!
The other hand, Rothenburg in Germany is very beautiful town. I think Germany takes good care of their old towns.

Nara in Japan

You can see five-story pagoda . It is not match.

Rothenburg

This picture was taken by my uncle, when he went to Rothenburg.

School journey
My uncle who lives in Nara, sent this picture.
It is very interesting picture. Please look the students. They can also receive commemorative photos of their school journey.
Japanese students go to Nara, Kyoto and the other their living city for the school journey.
When I was a junior high school student, I went to Nara and Kyoto.
Recently some students go to oversea countries. Times are changing.

Cobblestone and stone stairs
It is an old temple. Recently, I think Japanese old temple is really nice. Long years ago, they carried stones and they made Cobblestone and stone stairs. How did old Japanese made them?
Now we make plenty of buildings. How long these buildings stand?
The modern things may not stand a long time.

Byakugo-ji Temple in Nara Prefecture

My uncle sent pictures. This picture is so nice.

My soliloquy
I tried to upload my profile' picture. But my husband advised this picture was scary. I shuldn't use it. So I used the Cherry blossoms's picture. If I am angry, my face might be look like it....

My uncle gave this picture which is one of Four Heavenly Kings.

I don't know about Buddhist gods.

Sweet Flag
SzélsőFa asked me "onions in the bathtub? for what reason? decoration? "
Now I answer this is not onions. That is Sweet Flag.
When it is May 5 , we take a bath with Sweer Flag. May 5 is Children's Day (boys day). We celebrate their happiness. So we take a bath with Sweer flag, they become to be health more.

When we went to Shikoku, I took this picture. When it is May 5, parents who have boys decorate carp-shaped flags.

These are Japanese iris. My uncre, who lives in Nara, sent pictures. I misunderstood sweet flag and iris are same plants. My uncle adviced plants in the bath is defferent of iris by e-mail.

Thank you for helping!!

A temple bell and sutra in early moning

My uncle who lived in Nara sent a video. He took this video at 6:00 AM.

I think Japanese bell's sound is very heavy, that is characteristic. And this sound makes us rememberring quietness.

.
Kōfuku-ji is a Buddhist temple in the city of Nara. Kofuku-ji has Five-story pagoda.

Traveling Report
We are in Nara which is very famous city in Japan. We are going to visit some temples tomorrow. And we will come back to our house tomorrow night.

We visited Tokushima prefecture prefecture, Kagawa prefecture, Koch prefecture, Ehime prefecture, Osaka prefecture and Nara prefecture in this traveling.
We enjoy our traveling by car. We hope we don't have any troubles before we come back to our house. 　　

Five-story pagoda at Kōfuku-ji in Nara

This picture is Jay's.

Jay said it was brought back from Japan in the 1970's by one of my mother's friends. It's a Woodblock Print bought at the Uchide Art Co. at the Kyoto Handicraft Center. It is titled "Sarusowa Pond in Nara" and it was done by Nisaburo Ito. The five storied pogoda is Kofukuji and it still stands and is one of Japan's tallest, and is the symbol of Nara. I wonder if those places in Kyoto are still around.

In 1970's Expo '70 was opened in Osaka. I thought they might visited Osaka ,Kyoto and Nara.

　

This picture was sent by my uncle who lives in Nara. So you watch it carefully. You can find a traffic sighn. LOL

Hanami flower viewing
My uncle said he went to a Hanami last week in Nara.
Unfortunately this week it is raining day in my town. It is difficult to keep cherry blossoms.
Now there are a lot of falling cherry blossoms near my apartment.

In Japan schools begin from April. This year is the end of year for my younger son in his preschool, and my older son is the fifth grade in his elementary school.