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Monday, September 10, 2012

Between summer and autumn


Umami Hills Park is always inviting throughout the year. 

The first week of September passed with lingering sultry weather.
Though the temparature has dropped a little this week,   it's still hot in the daytime.



However, the heat of September, which ripens Figs, 
 is different from that of summer.  


Summer is waning with remnants of Salvia summer red....


....or with weathered Hydrangeas.


Green leaves vibrate with the last song of Cicadas and footsteps of Walkers. 


Going through the harshest heat, Blue Salvia is still in good condition.


Roses are coming back with autumn-flowering.


鈴虫(Suzumushi), Bell-ring Cricket, or Homoegoryllus japonicus, the species native to Japan,
is thought to be the most musical cricket.



In the evening, listen carefully, and you'll hear the chorus of singing insects.
 
 
Their chirping has soothing effect on us.
The short lives of them remind me of the transience of life.

at Nara Park

White Crape Myrtles, which bloom throughout summer, suit September best.

Sept. 9th

Autumn is coming with slow but steady steps.

-Visit Our World Tuesday to see more about our world.-

52 comments:

  1. every image is lovely! even the sound of crickets. :)

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  2. Hi,Stardust.
    お庭に鈴虫が住んでるのですか。私の家では見たことないし、鳴き声も聞いたことないですヨ。五番目の写真に写ってる方は、ご主人でしょうか。これから季節が少しづつ秋らしくなってきて、ハイキングや散歩をするのが楽しみですね。やっと新しいパソコンになりました。でもまだ使いこなせません。夏バテしないように、楽しい秋を迎えましょう。

    Tomoko

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  3. Redrose - 家で鈴虫を飼育しており、この時期になると少しずつ庭に放しています。庭には敵が多いでしょうし、夜には他の虫の声が充分聞こえるのですが、飼育箱で長生きするのと庭で自由にするのとどちらがいいかと思いまして。新しいパソコンは動作スピードが速く、快適でしょうね。インターネット、メール、写真整理さえできればパーフェクト。

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  4. Next month, October, is usually my favourite month in Japan, when late summer finally steps back and allows autumn to enter the stage.

    Thanks for reminding me about autumn roses! I almost forgot! :)

    PS: I don't mind cicadas' noise, but crickets irritate me. Not sure why.

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  5. Hi dear Yoko,
    it is seven o.clock in the morning and I enjoyed your post in peace and quiet.
    If I ever visit Japan (which I would like to do) I will take an summary of your posts with me and look for at least some of those wonderful locations!
    Autumn can be felt here too now, but very slight. The first autumn flowers bloom, the squill for example.
    Lets have a good day! :-)

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  6. Hi, they are always beautiful.
    This year I can see Japanese Autumn via your blog because I'm staying in Finland. :)

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  7. Hello Yoko:
    Certainly summer is fading fast, but as this post shows there remains much of interest still to be seen in Nature and, of course, this is a time when one can start to anticipate all the glorious colours and fruits of autumn.

    We love the idea of listening to insect life! Wonderful photographs, as always.

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  8. It feels autumnal here today too after a few days of beautiful late summer sunshine which raced the onset of September. Fine pictures as ever. Do I dimly recall that people used to make small, but very ornate, carved "cages" to transport crickets in, so that they could enjoy the sound of the crickets wherever they might be?

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  9. 蝉の声が秋の虫たちの声にかき消されるようになってきたね。隣が空地なので夜間はすさまじいです。それが毎年気がつくとぱたりととだえているんです。でもこれから暫くは虫たちの合奏を楽しめます。

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  10. Rurosha – There are various species of crickets. Among them, Suzumushi (Bell-ring cricket) and Matsumushi (Pine cricket) have been favored and esteemed since the ancient time in Japan. It is cultural thing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crickets_as_pets Scroll down to “Pet crickets in Japan”.

    John – As a child, I used to keep bell-ring cricket in the bamboo cage, too. I took care of them giving them eggplants or cucumbers. They are kept for their songs.

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  11. I'm always fascinated by the similarities as much as by the differences between our two areas. The evening choruses are waning here, but the crickets and cicadas have filled our summer evenings. The cooler weather comes faster here. Autumn is showing its face with some leaves starting to fall.

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  12. Oh how lovely, Yoko!
    Thanks for sharing the last bits of summer and first steps of Japanese autumm with us.
    Cheers,
    Márcia

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  13. Your shots of transitioning seasons set the perfect mood! I listened online to the sound of these crickets called bell-ring … such a beautiful and appropriate name. Although not out my window and probably not exactly the same species, we have similar in my part of the world. Usually they are tan colored grasshoppers that camouflage in grassy fields. Their melodies are pleasing to the ear and remind us that there is an orchestra going on in the natural world. :)

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  14. This time I don't want to be one of the last followers posting a comment under your post, Yoko! :-)
    Browsing through your post today was like a poetic late summer stroll - I could hear the crickets chirping and I was able to smell the scent of late summer flowers ...
    Today we have one of the last hot summer days as well here in Germany. The weather forecast predicts much cooler temperatures and the start of autumnal rain showers...
    ...I should be sad, but I'm looking forward to the autumn season with its wonderful colours and more silent atmosphere.
    Uwe.

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  15. Your post is a photographic entryway to the fall and all of its glories. And I think your weather is similar to ours in that it is still hot here but we see some moderation, especially in the evenings and mornings. Do those Bell-ring crickets get inside your house and drive you crazy because you can hear them but not find them? :-) Thank you again for sharing the beauty of Mother Nature in your country!

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  16. Such fabulous pictures of the cusp between summer and autumn...

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  17. Lovely images and interesting text to match. The crickets' song is so peaceful.

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  18. Fabulous pictures and what a wonderful commentary. Really enjoyed the crape myrtles and the crickets. Beautiful shot of the color-changing leaves in the last one!

    I am Looking forward to seeing the fall in Seoul this year!

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  19. Your images remind me of fall....and those crickets are a real treat. I've never seen them before....I love figs and pomegranates.......soon our pomegranates will be ready to eat here. Can't wait for the delicious ruby fruit. Have a great week!

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  20. Beautiful captures of a beautiful world!! I, too, love your commentary! Thank you for sharing the beauty. I hope you have a wonderful week!

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  21. 毎日、鈴虫の音が聞けるのは一番のぜい沢ではありませんか。 
    暑さには極端に弱い私ですが、過ぎ去る夏にも名残りを感じています。夏には夏の風情がありましたね。
    心地よい、涼風をありがとうございました。
    keiko

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  22. I enjoyed your charming post on how the flowers thrive through the intense heat of summer and coping with the beginning of autumn. I can hear the crickets singing too.

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  23. Slowly, slowly the autumn is coming. And what a beauty she already seems to be! I like the serene, steady atmosphere you captured in these great pictures, Yoko. For me autumn is the season of long walks and reverie, but also the season of gathering mother nature's richness, all that cluster of sweet tastes and aromas meant to generously help us pass through the harsh winter. My favorite season.

    I loved the way you captured this phase of transition when nor summer neither autumn, nor solely green neither falling leaves... The crickets were unknown to me - we have a different kind here - but I bet it's very soothing and comforting listening them singing in the quiet evenings.

    My best of wishes and have good days ahead, dear friend!

    PS I'm sorry I haven't got the time to visit you as often as I would like...

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  24. Hi Yoko

    very informative post with lovely set of pictures...

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  25. those black insects give me goosebumps!:p the flowers are lovely...your photo of the white crepe myrtle is fabulous.

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  26. What beautiful photos. Whilst the flowers are beginning to fade there is still the greeness of the grass and trees. Very much the transition from one season to another. The pictures of the crickets were wonderful. I would love to hear them sing. Thank you for sharing.

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  27. こんばんは。季節の移ろいに美しさを感じる感性は大事にしたいですね。
     「秋来ぬと目には清かに 見えねども 虫の音にぞ 驚かれぬる。」

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  28. Lowell - We do have bell-ring crickets in our house..... in a cage. My husband breeds and takes care of them and gives away to the children in the neighborhood if they want in summer. We keep them for their “song”, which is cultural thing. At this time, we release most of them to the garden. I know there are their enemies in the garden, but I wonder which is better to live a long life in a cage or to be set free in the grass.

    Long time ago when my son was very young, I found something like cockroaches jumping in the room at night. It was “koorogi” crickets (not bell-ring crickets) he caught. We would let insects go after close observation, and he seems to have done it in the room. I was so surprised before getting angry.

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  29. 本当に暑かったですね。でも少しずつこうして秋が近付くにつれ夏にも郷愁を覚えます。
    そんな季節のはざまを素敵な写真と文で伝えておられると思います。

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  30. Dear Yoko,

    Thanks for your interesting comment. I've not heard of raising crickets before. They must sound very good. And the story of your son is quite funny! Boys will be boys, they say!

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  31. As usual, beautiful pictures, Yoko. I think it is very interesting the way that one day, suddenly, we feel autumn in the air. Or, at the other end of the winter, we feel Spring in the air. It's hard to know exactly why we get that feeling, I think; it is a feeling in the air itself, for me. It happens every year. We reach the point where the season moves on.

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  32. Your photos are precious!!! What a beautiful post!

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  33. Hello Yoko!
    You show so much beautiful.
    Yes, now is the autumn again, imagine what good that there is so much that still blooming.
    Wish you a nice day.

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  34. Hello Yoko!
    It's very interesting to see these crickets and also read that they are kept in cages.They carry on with their lives oblivious to the larger world around them.I wonder if anyone is watching us? Autumn is a beautiful season.
    Have a lovely week,
    Ruby

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  35. Great post, beautiful photos and text!
    Thanks for sharing.
    Love to see from your part of the world.
    Wish you a wonderful week.
    Mette

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  36. Love the first view of the park! Beautiful!

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  37. Caught between summer and autumn is a beautiful place to be. Thank you for sharing this transition with us.

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  38. 記事を拝見していると、秋の足音が聞こえてきます!鈴虫さん、たくさんいますね! もうびっくり。うちのあたりでは鳴いてはいますが(たぶん、鈴虫かコオロギ)姿をちゃんと見たことがありません。まだ暑いですね。水不足がこちらでは大変心配されています。早く雨がふってほしいです。

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  39. mientras el verano se adormece en tu tierra,acá despiertan los brotes por doquier ,comienzan los abanicos de color de la primavera
    un beso

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  40. Beautiful shots, love the Grape Myrtles. Thank you for sharing. I like your way of telling this.
    Grethe ´)

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  41. Hello Yoko,
    Your prose-poem is so inviting. I can see and feel Nara at this time through your descriptions. The flowers are still lovely! It is supposed to snow in Breckenridge tonight. I will be saying goodbye to my gardens.

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  42. Great series of images, You have a good variety here. :)

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  43. What a colorfully refreshing photo essay, Yoko! The clean and quiet stretch of the park is inviting me to be there right away. The pictures (along with the commentary) are spectacular and surely the next best thing for me to experience the beautiful place. I love those figs and aren't those hydrangeas the same flowers that were in full bloom when I was there?

    Thanks for yet another delightful virtual walk, Yoko! Always love my tours with you!

    Wish you happy days! :)

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    Replies
    1. Those hydrangeas are the deteriorated flowers from late June. if people don’t cut flower heads when flowers past their prime, they remain that way, though it depends on the place or weather.

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  44. Hello, stardust.

     Your sweet message and works charms my heart.

     I thank for your usual and hearty support.
     The prayer for all peace.

    Have a good week-end. ruma❃

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  45. Lovely photos of a beautiful time of the year.

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  46. Magnificent Blog!
    Awesome photos and places...
    I'm enchanted....
    Thank you for sharing. BShell

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  47. Yoko,sorry I forget to explain things! I've left an explanation in my comment box,others may also want to know.I'm glad you asked!

    Ruby

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