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Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Freshly verdant vegetation of May


Spring has been deepening as trees come alive with newly sprouted foliage.

Grass grows lush and bountiful fast.


I am partial to reflections on the water.
These are reflections of viridity of grass or leaves.







During the Golden Week, I went to Tofuku-ji Temple for 青もみじ Aomomiji, 
young green maple viewing.
Tofukuji is so popular for its colorful display of Japanese maples in late-November.
I prefer much quieter temple grounds during the off season.
The view from the Gaun-kyo Bridge where I stand toward the Tsuten-kyo Bridge 
over the ravine is a sea of green. 


Azaleas dot the freshly verdant garden.






An exuberance of young foliage!
An exuberance of joy!

Below is Japanese maple “Nomura”. 
The brownish red leaves become very bright red in autumn. 


After or between exploring, 
there's nothing like sitting on veranda to view the garden for a while,
enjoying the stillness, feeling the balmy breeze of May.

At the 一華院 Ikka-in, one of 25 sub-temples surrounding Tofuku-ji





Other time in Nara Park, I enjoyed creative vegetable cuisine with my friends from college years.
We have cherished friendship twice a year, spring and autumn, to keep it sparkling.

6 dishes out of 8-course dinner including dessert
Not true vegan because eggs, heese, yogurt and the likes are used.
Wish you joyful May, whether springtime, early summer, autumn, or everlasting summer,
depending on where you live.

Linked to Our World Tuesday
Wednesday around the World

34 comments:

  1. Yoko this is all so beautiful - and of course I especially love your fabulous reflection images.
    Glorious food and peaceful surroundings...wonderful!
    Enjoy your week,
    Ruby

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  2. "Verdant" describes this scenery perfectly. It also happens to be one of my favorite words. What a joy it is to look at your photographs. I also liked the treatment of the one that looks like a water colour painting. And how nice it is to have "old" friends with whom you can reminisce about the "good old days" and the fun you had back then. That is an outstanding 8-course dinner! Hope that all is well with you and your family!

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  3. Beautiful naturalaza full of life, Yoko. I love that bright green and cute. May has arrived with fantastic colors.
    Good Tuesday, my friend.
    Besos.

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  4. The nature of the village is beautiful, and, I love the vegetarian dishes, ummmmmmmmmmm.

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  5. Such beauty. The leaves look like stars.

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  6. Your photos are absolutely gorgeous and fascinating, Yoko! I love all your photos and green is my favourite colour! :)

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  7. ah...............thank you for making me part of your enchanting exploring my friend!!!

    i really need it .
    your capturing is "MAGICAL"

    i have no words to appreciate the beauty of your part of land ,looks like piece of heaven!
    the,stream,stairs,grass and water everything is sparkling and vibrant with magic of spring.
    loved the reflection view too,looks like beautiful abstract art of nature.
    i agree that feeling the depth and serenity of moment is real joy and peace.
    we too have veranda though we call shaded area before the lines of two or three rooms veranda .
    you also have amazing series of pics at your side bar absolutely gorgeous!

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  8. These greens and nature sights have me relaxed a lot, and I love the food shot in the end as well. Everything looks so delicious and beautifully presented. Thank you so much for sharing this beauty with us today. Really enjoyed viewing your images. Have a great day!

    Mersad
    Mersad Donko Photography

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  9. You are such a talented photographer with keen eyes on beautiful subjects and creative angles. Your beautiful photos always made my heart happy.
    I must say that the green plants are very fresh looking in Japan when compared to our tropical countries. We tend to have more shades of darker green, deep maroons and etc.

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  10. Ha Yoko,
    fris lente groen,rustgevend,heerlijk koelwater.
    De esdoorn prachtig van kleur, deze hebben wij ook in onze tuin geplant.
    mooie foto,s  dat je zit te genieten van de mooie tuin, en het lekker eten.
    wens je een mooie week.
    groetjes.
    Christiene.

    Ha Yoko,
    Fresh spring green, restful, delicious cooling water.
    The maple beautifully colored, these we also planted in our garden.
    Nice picture, s you are enjoying the beautiful garden, and the nice food.
    Wish you a nice week
    Greetings.
    Christiene

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  11. How much beauty, How much sensitivity. What freshness and tranquility your photos convey. What wonderful sites. Thank you so much for sharing your photos and making us vibrate with the work of the Great Architect.
    God bless you.
    Manuel

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  12. As fotos com reflexos parecem aquarelas, são 'opera d'arte'!
    Gostei de ver as fotos do templo e de apreciar os brotos, as folhas bebês, crescendo com alegria e vigor. Tons de verde que realmente alegram, revigoram a alma.
    A apresentação dos pratos está convidativa, são artísticos. Imagino que teve um excelente encontro com seus amigos de faculdade.
    Minha querida amiga Yoko, respondendo a sua pergunta: eu gosto do vento desde criança, gosto de sentir no meu rosto, do movimento no meu cabelo. O som que aprecio é o das folhas, especialmente, se forem de pinheiros... som tão delicado. O vento me faz matar a saudade que tenho, mas que não sei definir... uma saudade de um reencontro e é só o que posso dizer. Espero que tenha compreendido, mesmo com o google idiomas.
    Sirva-se a sua vontade das sopas, fico feliz!
    Deixo um beijo afetuoso e um abraço do Brasil! Felicidades querida!

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  13. I could easily get lost in these beautiful watery reflections. There is something mystical about the way circles form in the puddles and streams. A garden is a perfect place to meditate and to spend precious time with old friends.

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  14. May is my favourite month. The weather in England this May is pretty bad but I still appreciate looking from my upper windows at an almost magical green sea below. As always, your photos are so beautiful and artistic. I like the first photo very much, the sharpness of the near maple leaves and the darkness inside the tree, against the dreaminess of the distant leaves against the blue sky.

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  15. Oh this is like a paradise... so beautiful...

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  16. Such a lot of green shades, Yoko! I've been attracted by baby maple leaves recently, of olive colour. Being in a hurry, I couldn't spare a minute to take a picture. You did that for me.
    I love all of them, and most of all, the one with people contemplating the garden. Is that you sitting with the back on the right? Reminds of our visit to the writer's house, what was his name?
    With warmest wishes,
    Irina

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    1. Hi, Irina! No, the sitting woman is not me, I’m a photographer. The writer’s name is Naoya Shiga. Incidentally, the vegetable cuisine in the collage was served at the Japanese restaurant next to his old residence. It took more than two hours for the entire course.

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    2. Oh, that lovely restaurant where you took us to dinner? I would love to be in that wonderful park now, at least for an hour. So busy, overloaded with work at the end of the term. Why don't we have a kind of teleportation device? So that you press the button, and here you are, feeding deer and having tea with Yoko in Nara!
      Have a great week end, my dear friend!
      Irina

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  17. May is one of my favorites! Not to hot not too cold and the green is amazing1

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  18. Hello! I came to visit from Kellyn`s blog! I saw you live in Japan, and I live in Japan too, so I stopped by to say Hi. Beautiful pictures of the spring green.
    Blessings from the South of Japan!!

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  19. As usual a lot of green, flowers, water on wonderful pictures.

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  20. Again, a beautiful walk in Spring in warm sunny light! Lots of emerald fresh green all over; and all pictures are amazing captured. Especially, my favourites are the ones with the waves of waters. I always admired similar aspects in your previous posts. Wonderful aspects! Many thanks for this delight for eyes offered through your camera lens! Have a sunny new week ahead!

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  21. Lovely photos - so lush and green. I love the reflections with the ripples in the water. Spring is such a delightful season.

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  22. So very beautiful!
    Heavenly images.
    It is getting like that here as well. I am loving spring!

    Lovely day and beyond to you.

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  23. Bom dia, sem duvida que a vida está e só pode continuar através da natureza, belos verdes que as lindas fotos mostram.
    AG

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  24. 今日は足の弱った義理母の部屋の和式机をテーブルに代え、私のパソコンテーブルも変えて、ほっと一息、遅い時間ですがPC開きました。空も水の中も今の時期ならではの新緑の世界ですね。一年に二回も学生時代の友人に会えるのはうらやましい。

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  25. The new green of the baby leaves shines like a green jewel!

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  26. wow, your post overflows with wonderful images.
    Glimpses of spring.
    Beautiful reflections.
    A lovely temple to inspire stillness.
    And
    that meal looks amazing!
    Happy Spring to you!

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  27. Green, green, everywhere... Looks so cool.

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  28. Hello, My name is Cherish and I came across your blog just a few hours ago. I'm in the middle of searching Nada Kuroiwa Narcissus Field and here I am, mesmerised by your blog.
    I love all the photos you've taken and put in your blog's posts. They're all beautiful, lots of green, flowers, and life.

    And i came to know many other beautiful places in Japan too! I Hope i can visit Japan someday!

    I'll be waiting for your next post!

    greetings from Indonesia!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Cherish! Thanks for your visit and a lovely comment. I tried to visit your blog but somehow my security soft doesn’t allow me to access to your blog.

      I’m glad you got interested in my blog. The wild narcissus field at Nada Kuroiwa in the Awajishima Island is spectacular. The best time is so cold January. Bus service is available from Sannomiya, downtown of Kobe. I usually update my blog twice a month and the next post will be a little later than mid-June. Wish your dream come true sooner.

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  29. The green one of dream, precious reflections with waves and the menu of the end look great. A delight to pass once again hereabouts

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  30. Witaj , jestem Aleksandra. Z Polski. Oglądam Twój blog i jestem pod niezwykłym wrażeniem niezwykle pięknego kraju, z którego pochodzisz Japonia. Piękne są te zdjęcia. Czuję się tak jakbym tam była. Bardzo serdecznie pozdrawiam . Ola

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  31. Dziś dotarłam do pięknego parku, świątyni i wspaniałych zdjęć natury. Tyle spokoju, dostojności tu widzę. Zauroczyła mnie Japonia. Ja również preferuję spokojne miejsca, relaks, podziwianie otoczenia , przyrody. Tu, przy tych pięknych zdjęciach odpoczywam. Bardzo serdecznie pozdrawiam. Z dalekiego kraju..... Ola

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