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Tuesday, April 28, 2015

The season of "新緑 Shinryoku"

There is a Japanese word “新緑 Shinryoku” which means "fresh verdure of spring".  
Shinryoku emerges between late March and mid-April to show the fresh green color.
The very young leaves are light in color before becoming bright green soon.

Nara Park, April 9th




The newly born leaves of Japanese Maple are so cute.  
They are translucent light green and make a good contrast to its tiny red flowers.

March 30th

 They start off so small but grow into emerald green young-adults soon.

April 27th

Sprinkled with water of April rain, moss and lichens start shining with a fresh verdure 
while cherry blossoms are falling and fading in colors..


As you see the massive tree trunk and roots above, there are many gigantic trees in Nara Park.
Camphor trees produce bright green foliage with masses of small white flowers, and then shed old leaves.




These children are having lunch embraced in a camphor tree.
They spread their sheets on the fallen leaves in the shade of the tree.

School excursion

Ginkgo tree holds a large lacy parasol with its mighty long and thick arms.
The sun flickers through leaves.

April 27th


While brilliant saffron yellow in autumn is breathtaking,
the glinting tiny young leaves of spring are so refreshing.


I really like the young leaves of Tosa-mizuki (Corylopsis spicata), or Spike winter hazel in English, 
and Hyuga-mizuki (Corylopsis pauciflora), or Buttercup winter hazel.
Both of them produce new leaves right after flowers.
The leaves are ovate with an acute apex and a serrated margin and have distinct sunken veins.
Aren't they charming?

New leaves and fruits/seeds of Tosa-mizuki at the Mt. Rokko



Hyuga-mizuki

 At this time of Shinryoku, we have Golden Week holidays from April 29th.
Many people spring into mountains, woods, or parks to bathe in greenery
which is good for both mind and body.


The new leaves grow rapidly to hide the view over there 
where we can see through when the trees are bare in winter.
Soon trees will get thick with leaves.

Baby leaves of weeping willows

This post is linked to Our World Tuesday. 

32 comments:

  1. What a magical world of gorgeous greenery!

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  2. Αγαπημένη μου φίλη, ευτυχισμένη επέτειο για τις διακοπές και την Τρίτη!
    Πολύ όμορφες εικόνες πράσινου, που γέμισαν ομορφιά την ψυχή μου!
    Εύχομαι να είστε όλοι καλά!
    Σας στέλνω μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά και πολλά φιλιά!

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  3. I immediately recognized the hazel leaves, from childhood, my paternal grandparents had hazel bushes in their garden and we children enjoyed the nuts.
    I did not know about camphor tree at all. I learned at the Internet and see what in addtion I found at Wikipedia:
    "In Japan, where the tree is called kusunoki, five camphor trees are known with a trunk circumference above 20 m, with the largest tree (Kamou no Ohkusu) reaching the circumference of 24.22 m"
    Do you know these giants? Did you maybe visit them?
    I enjoyed your beautiful post as always Yoko! :-)

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    Replies
    1. PS
      But I know the camphor oil and ointment with its distinctive smell - and I even remember Vicks VapoRub! Now I got the connection to the trees, that I unknowingly had - because this ointment we got on our chest as children when we had winter colds. :-)
      I learned through you, thank you!

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  4. All these variations of green! So lovely! Wonderful photos!

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  5. Looks like everything in Japan is so clean and in balance with its surroundings. Especially nature. Great shots.

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  6. Shinryoku - what a lovely word. How have we got by without an equivalent for so long? You have managed to get so much variety into these shots of leaves and trees.

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  7. A delightful post....It's always a pleasure to visit your blog...
    Have a shinny day...under some leeves...
    Anna

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  8. Hi Yoko, your lovely photos show such vibrant green beauty.This is a magical time with many shades of green, I love it!
    Thank you for sharing the beauty.

    Wishing you a happy week,
    Ruby

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  9. Hello dear Yoko! Anonther wonderful post!!! I love green color and trees are a passion to me! I wish I could be lunching in Nara Garden and see all beauty there!
    Happy Golden Week holidays!
    Hugs and love from Portugal,
    Ana Love Craft
    www.lovecraft2012.blogspot.com

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  10. This series of photos is breathtaking, overwhelming in its beauty! What a heavenly place where you live. It's rather like a dream and you use your camera to great effect! I'm afraid if I lived in that area, I would spend most of my time taking pictures!

    I hope that all goes well with you this spring. We're doing fine at this point and we're very grateful for no further recurrences of the problem. Sending love and best wishes!

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  11. truly magical. your photos are beautiful!

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  12. Nara Park always seems to be a beautiful oasis for you to visit Yoko whatever time of the year. There are so many lovely elements to this post, but whenever I think of the Ginkgo I am always reminded that it is a living fossil - the sole survivor of an ancient group of trees that date back to beyond the time of the dinosaurs.

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  13. With snow still surrounding my house, I am on a search for Shinryoku! I'm happy to see the verdure in Nara. The mossy roots of the ancient trees are wonderful. I believe you are out and about with your camera now that your babysitting duties are over. Enjoy your spring Yoko. We are traveling in search of spring since it isn't coming to us!

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  14. I enjoyed your photos of trees and scenery. It is so calming and serene.
    http://chingchailah.blogspot.com/

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  15. Very beautiful pictures of spring. I like the roots of the tree - they look really misteryous like the wood grow in a fairy-wood.
    I never saw people go so neer to the deers. Impressive!

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  16. Beautifully in the spring they wake up new leaves of the trees. They're beautiful, they have a lovely shade of green. Maple leaves me enchanted. Regards.

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  17. It is one of the pleasures of the year to see the trees in May. The trees have not yet acquired their uniform green tint but are still such different shades from each other. Yesterday we were admiring a copper beech tree. By the time summer is well established, the leaves of the copper beech are dark red (not really the colour of copper, almost the colour of beetroot). But at this time of year, they're bright and an almost translucent reddish-pink.

    The combination of moss and fading blossom is very delicate. Thank you for these beautiful photographs.

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  18. こんばんは。 新緑の頃は、心がうきうきします。最後の写真、とても素晴らしいです。 新緑の頃、カツラの木が、ハート型の若葉を出す頃がとても好きです。
     お写真にも写っていますが、クスノキの若葉が紫外線を防御するために、赤い葉をだすのも、可愛いですね。 新芽が鮮紅色であることから、名付けられた、アカメガシワを見るのも楽しいです。

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  19. All these photos are beautiful and show the progression of spring so well. The leaves are only just beginning to show here. I love to watch them slowly putting on their pale green clothes, and then bursting into stronger greens with the rains of April and the sunshine of May.

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  20. I gasped when I saw your last photo … it is so magical … and also enjoyed all the detail you showed in the budding baby leaves. This is the season that makes me imagine a sweet scent like bunches and bunches of fresh green mint springing up everywhere!

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  21. ✿⊱·.
    Parque lindo, vegetação exuberante com flores maravilhosas!!!
    Magnífico tapete de folhas e flores!!!
    Ótimo fim de semana!
    Beijinhos..·°هჱ
    ❤ه° ·.

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  22. "Fresh verdure of spring"? --> "Green as green can!" ;-)

    Green - or verdure - is the prevailing colour in our woods as well currently. Unfortunately I don't have too much time to stroll through nature with my camera, so I appreciate your wonderful photographs of 新緑 Shinryoku, Yoko.
    Enjoy a great Sunday with your loved ones!
    Uwe.

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  23. Subhanallah..What a magical world of gorgeous greenery!

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  24. Fresh green gives peace to the heart.
    Elegant photography.
    Best regards.

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  25. こんにちわ。

    奈良の深翠も一層増しているところですね。 素晴らしいこのひと時です。

    ときはなる 松の緑も 春くれば 今ひとしほの 色まさりけり
    源 宗于

    我が背子が 衣はるさめ ふるごとに 野辺の緑ぞ 色まさりける
    紀 貫之


    尚、よき春を。

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  26. Wonderful, just wonderful. Spring is a very special season, full of hope and joy and a miracle of rebirth.

    Your pictures are gorgeous, as always. I would love to walk with you.

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  27. 素晴らしい写真がそろってますね。目の保養になります。 色がとにかくきれいに出ていて、いろいろ持ちたくないので、旅をする時はカメラを持っていかないのですけど、携帯のカメラではやはり無理があるかなー。 

    いつも親切はコメントありがたいです。 いつか日本でお会い出来たら最高です。これからもよろしくお願いします。

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