Sakura flowers in the rain by nagaino

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#blossoms
#BloomScrolling
#小野照崎神社
#雨
#桜
#東京

Spring UK

Osaka is the most densely populated prefecture in Japan, and when I walk away from our house near City Hall, I soon get into a bleak industrial and residential area by the river Akutagawa (sound familiar from the literary prize?). However, as in many areas of Japan, elderly volunteers tend a long patch of greenery along the river. Limited to four photos, I cannot show the profusion of early spring flowers, but here are some scenes that show the atmosphere of colorful greenery.

Incidentally, when I was in the hospital I talked in Japanese with a muscular man in his early 70s who had had a heart attack and bypass operation. Since he had a house, I assume he had a family, but the photos he showed me were of the vegetables he grows in a rented patch. Unlike younger people who only seem to want convenience, the man reminded me of the values the elderly volunteers along the river are trying to pass on.

A bird eats blossom during warm spring weather in Richmond, west London, #Britain. REUTERS/Toby Melville

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My more-or-less annual image of the cherry trees on the quad on the University of Washington campus in Seattle. Always beautiful, and always nice to see so many people enjoying natural beauty.

Spring Blossoms

This is for everyone enduring ice and snow. Hang in there! Spring is just over the horizon.

I've just retired from 40 years in Japanese higher education. I'm happy, however, because I'm completely healthy. I just had a catheter operation that fixed the irregular heartbeat that was concerning for several months.

I still belong to the EU-Asia digital partnerships grant project, and a long presentation on Japan to students from California is scheduled for May.

I'm already back to outdoor activities, as you can see with these photos of sakura cherry blossoms in the castle ruins park near our house.

A lovely tree from today's walk.

I found this beautiful tree in an alley in my neighborhood.

#Vibrant #Red #Blossoms #Window #View by Kaye Menner #Photography
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speaking of purple things that are blooming, this was from a week or so ago - a purple leafed plum tree doing it's thing

(not a very drought-tolerant plant so I'm not sure why people have them here except that they're pretty. I've seen lots of them around Tucson)

I've been taking care of our older son, who is in his mid-30s. You might think it would be the opposite with his old man, but this is Japan, and unconditional love can appear one-sided. He is an IT manager in Tōkyō and can work mostly from home, or from our home. Since he has been living in such an urban environment, I took him on a nice nature course in northern Kyōto City from Kitaōji along the Kamo River quite a distance north, to the great shrine Kamigamo Jinja, and then to the Kyōto Botanical Garden (京都北部の北大路駅↬鴨川沿い↬上賀茂神社↬京都府立植物園). In all we went over 12,000 steps, and our son also conked out when we got back.

Publications on Japan: https://japanned.hcommons.org/japanology

Kitano Tenman-gū (北野天満宮) in northern Kyōto City is a major Shintō shrine combining national treasure architecture and plum blossom viewing at its best in these photos. Please enjoy the humor of the last one.

1) the torii gate to enter the sacred space. 2) Pink plum blossoms. 3) Mini-shrine to a kami god. 4) Caught in the act ... of sniffing plum blossom fragrance. Some Japanese people do it, too, really!