Green-scented, wind-fragrant May

風薫る/Kaze kaoru is a seasonal term traditionally used in Waka and Haiku, Japanese poetry.

 It describes the refreshing breeze that blows through fresh greenery, carrying the scent of flowers and plants.

It signals the start of the pleasant early summer right before 梅雨 Apricot Rains, about a month and a half

 rainy season.

May is a season of "green scent"— fresh, crisp aroma arising from young, lush vegetation. 

Probably because of the high moisture content of the thriving new leaves,

I feel soaked in the dripping essence of  foliage when walking in the greenery.

Sparkling or dancing light  and reflection.

Bentobox-like small, rectangular, shallow basin sits nestled inside a larger, natural pond.

As the gentle, rhythmic ripples moves across its surface, the reflection of the surrounding

foliage start shimmering.

The window became a leafy veil, with the trees outside painted on the glass.

In Nara Park, deer are very active and transitioning from their winter to summer coats, 
often looking patchy as they shed.

The breeze in early May often carries these scents of Wisteria, Rhododendron, or Yellow Roses.

So free and comfortable in the balmy air of May!

Linked to Saturday's Critters

Mosaic Monday

Sakura Album, 2026

The period from late March to the second week of April feels so fleeting every year. 

The reason lies in the blooming of 桜 Sakura; its peak is so short that we want to be present 

and appreciate the “now”.

The delicate and elegant beauty of Sakura blossoms is a moving expression of life, death, and rebirth. 

Impermanence is what makes life precious.

- One of the parks in my neighborhood, March 30th -

- Along the 佐保川 Saho River, April 2nd -

- 春日野園地 Kasugano-enchi, Nara Park, April 3rd -

-茶山園地 Chayama-enchi, Nara Park -

奈良の九重桜 Nara-no-kokonoe-zakura species

- Along the 賀茂川 Kamo River, Kyoto, April 6th -

Driving along the Kamo River, Kyoto, and celebrating my husband's birthday.

 Have you ever seen Sakura brizzard?

The falling petals are a spectacular finale that promises the cycle of life.

散るという  飛翔のかたち  花びらは  ふと微笑んで  枝を離れる 
- 俵万智 TAWARA Machi -

Meaning: In their scattering, the (Sakura) petals take flight; with a soft smile, they let go of the branch."

 I like to see the scattering Sakura blossoms not as an end but as a ‘flight’, 
taking to the sky of their own will.

By association,  I think of the two of my grandchildren who graduated from junior-high 

and elementary school  and then entered the new chapter of their lives this spring.
 It's a flight with a cheerful smile — a departure, a journey to the next stage.

Sakura blossoms have an endearing way of whispering a gentle farewell.

There is something sad and uplifting at the same time.

See you next year.

Linked to Saturday's Critters

Mosaic Monday

Ume blossoms and light-up in the Toji Temple Garden

梅一輪　一輪ほどの　暖かさ

Ume ichirin, ichirin hodono, atatakasa

One Ume blossom

One blossom's

Worth of warmth

-　服部嵐雪　Hattori Ransetsu (1654-1707)  -

This haiku-poem has a preface that refers to the Ume blossom as a 寒梅 "winter Ume." 

寒梅 winter ume tree that blossoms in cold winter is a seasonal word for late winter, while 梅 Ume is for spring.

Ume, Japanese apricot, is the harbinger of spring in Japan.

When I was in the Toji Temple Garden with Ume trees in full bloom in the late February, 

it felt like that the weather was becoming warmer with each new bloom of 梅 Ume tree.

It was so warm that I could describe "full bloom worth of warmth" rather than

 "one blossom's worth of warmth".

河津桜 Kawazu-zakura, an early-flowering variety of cherry tree, were also almost in full bloom.

Numerous bamboo lanterns and bamboo balls are displayed for the light-up 東寺月回廊 To-ji Moon Corridor.

Multiple bamboo balls are suspended over Hyotan pond ....

.... and are hanging along the Moon Corridor.

When all the bamboo balls and lanterns are lit up, you're transformed into the ethereal world,

which is completely different from the daytime.

Despite the warmth of the daytime, the night was so chilly.

As usual, temporary warm spells will be interrupted by lingering, volatile winter conditions 

before the real spring is here.

- A little about Toji Temple -

Toji Temple (World Heritage) was built in 796 shortly after the capital was moved to Heian-kyo (Kyoto).

In 823, Kobo Daishi (Kukai) was entrusted by the reigning emperor, making it a key center for Shingon Buddhism.

The Five Storied Pagoda (National Treasure, reconstruction in 1644) is the tallest in Japan.

Linked to Mosaic Monday