At last winter is come! It came suddenly last week with intense cold spell. (News,here)
This time of year is usually mildly cold with colors getting muted gradually in natural world.
Some city streets, parks, gardens, and stations start sparkling with light-ups.
While I love faint flickering flame of candles, gorgeous illuminations have encouraged me
to go out in the darker, colder time.
The photos are from Grand Front Osaka last year.
Bokeh light is fantastic!
Outside was glowing champagne gold.
The warmth and brilliance of illuminations look symbolizing human miracles and wisdom
overcoming past disasters.
Vaccines for the new corona were developed and proved high protection with unprecedented speed.
In this slow-moving disaster (compared to earthquakes or the likes),
political leaders' decision-making can be delayed till the patients become alarming level,
and some people's code of action can be loosened at times.
But nonetheless ordinary people would have saved themselves by voluntarily following
the advice of experts in advance of the government's action without legal authorities... so far.
December is full of festivities in my families.
My eldest grandchild F and youngest M turned 10 and 3 respectively.
F's sister Y celebrated her 7th year of Shichi-Go-San as was written last time.
The father of F and Y turned forty something.
Can you see M peeping through the window of a tent?
Wish you a sparkling Christmas
and a New Year with the promises of a brighter tommorrow!
Linked to Mosaic Monday
Hello from Vancouver, a wonderful post with all the blue lights and decorations. It sounds like you are expecting snow and cooler weather than usual. Tomorrow (Monday) we too are expecting wet snow but I've heard that winter will be colder than usual here. The effects of La Nina. Perhaps that explains why your temperatures are also colder. I'm sending you good wishes for a wonderful rest of December, Christmas if you celebrate and a wonderful and Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteThose decorations are just the thing to brighten the shortest day of the year. Wishing you and your family all the best for the winter holidays and for 2021.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! A wonderful Christmas time!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous decorations and pictures !!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays for you and your family !
Anna
I love to see the Christmas lights. What beautiful and bright photos.
ReplyDeleteIn spite of everything, I wish to you and to your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, full of everything good, especially health.
Take care and Best wishes
Lovely photos! Very festive! Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE those lights reflected on the wet sidewalk. Just beautiful. Bob saw that it snowed so hard near Tokyo that there were people stranded on the freeways. Last year in January, our Jim came to Japan to ski. He still talks about his trip. I think the northern ski resorts in Japan are getting a lot of snow. You sure had a lot of family celebrations in December. Let's hope for a bright and happy New Year, Yoko!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy a sparkling festive season Yoko especially with all those family birthdays - love the blue lights they are particularly pretty.
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous tree and I love the blue rose. Merry Christmas
ReplyDeleteDawn aka Spatulas On Parade
Merry Christmas. I am at #13 on the Linky
ReplyDeleteMuch🎅love
Yoko - I looked at your pictures from last year with such longing - I never thought I would say it, but I look forward to going back to a mall and seeing such spectacular decorations. Perhaps next year ... Thanks so much for linking to Mosaic Monday, and enjoy the rest of the holidays.
ReplyDeleteSo glittery and lovely! Wishing you a healthy and happy festive season.
ReplyDeleteHello from Thailand - wishing you a sparkling Christmas too. Japan was the last country other than my homelands of the UK & Australia that I visited before Covid. Let's hope the vaccine helps in 2021. I have enjoyed my Japanese wander with you!
ReplyDeleteHappy festive season!
Wren x
Beautiful pictures Yoko! I always associate red and green with Christmas so it is nice to see the complementary colours! I like the busy scenes at Christmas too, and I hope we can return to them next year. It's still nice to see them now, but they look lonely in an empty place! How fast the time has gone that your grandchildren are growing so fast. They are still at a beautiful age, all of them, and I hope you are able to continue seeing them. Here our government has been very bad and we are now in extra severe lockdown. Of course there is no good solution to this problem so just as well the vaccine is on the way. I wish you and yours the best of the holiday season and a happy 2021!
ReplyDeletePreciosas fotos. Un diciembre muy festivo Yoko.
ReplyDeleteDeseo para tí y los tuyos una buena Navidad y que el año próximo nos devuelva a todos lo que nos quitó el que dejamos.
Feliz Navidad y Año Nuevo ⛄🎄🎅 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Cuidaros mucho.
Un abrazo.
Dear Yoko!
ReplyDeleteMay this Christmas bring smiles at your doorstep joy in your heart
and love and togetherness of friends and family in your home.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
The campaign gold walkway is a shimmering wonderland of reflections. Haha .. I do see a child peeking from the pretty pink tent window. No matter what the weather, days sparkle more with children and family events to look forward to. Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas, stardust! Hopefully, the vaccines will work well and the New Year will be brighter.
ReplyDeleteクリスマスを迎え、いよいよ新しい年がやってきます。来年こそは自由に出歩ける日々が来てほしいですよね。
ReplyDeleteお孫さんたちに囲まれてYokoさんご夫婦はますます若返るのではないでしょうか。こちらはなんとも静かなクリスマスとお正月になりそうです。路面に反射したイルミネーションとそばを通る車の渋滞の写真。都会の生活ぶりが表れていてなぜかホットします。
七五三おめでとうございます。
ReplyDelete皆様が幾久しくご健勝であられますことをお祈り申し上げます。
また、素敵な撮影をありがとうございました。
来年もよいお年をお迎えになられますよう、祈念致します。
Yes, I can see little smiling face behind the winsow)) Pure joy!
ReplyDeleteDear Yoko, I read about snow falls in Japan and thought if Nara would get covered too. Not with your temperaturess. Right now we're in the middle of intense cold spell (-28-32° C). Still, we walk twice a day, remembering social distance.
Dear Yoko, our warmest, most sincere wishes to you and your family. Happy New yesr!
Irina and Doctor B.
Yoko - thanks for your comments on my blog post. We usually leave the tree up for a month, so since we put it up mid-December, it will remain through mid-January. I am always sad to put the ornaments away, but it is still an enjoyable process since we re-visit our memories and fondly tuck them away until next year. We then lower the tree to the floor and my husband cuts off enough branches so that the tree is light enough for the two of us to carry.
ReplyDeleteI have not heard of Temaki Zushi, but I will tell my family about it and maybe we will try it next! Happy New Year to you!
Dear Yoko: I am sending you love and good wishes for the New Year of 2021.... I hope you and your family will be happy, healthy and worry-free, and I hope the vaccine will change all our lives for the better very soon. Perhaps we will be able to go back to a "normal" life in the future. Greetings from a cold Ontario, Canada.
ReplyDeletedear and sweet friend Yoko
ReplyDeletei will come back to read this splendid post again
right now accept my heartfelt best wishes for new year and merry Christmas to you and loved ones!
Dear Yoko!
ReplyDeleteI wish you a happy and prosperous New Year 2021!
Łucja - Maria
I wish you a Happy New Year 2021 :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Wish you a peaceful and joyful year 2021.
DeleteI did enjoy your post, lovely pictures.
ReplyDeleteSending my good wishes for a happy and healthy 2021.
All the best Jan
Magnificent post dear Yoko as always :)
ReplyDeletefirst of all thank you for mentioning the reason for naming your blog "star dust " :) yes i remember so well my first visit to your beautiful blog and i was not just stunned with beauty of your area but the depth and simplicity of the name you gave to it :) while reading name first thing came in my my mind was image of galaxy and star dust that depart from stars but eventually after long ,long ,long journey turn into a star itself :)
Loved the poetic description and SPLENDID photos so much ,i believe there are really few who know how to capture as beautifully and meaningfully !
i am glad that vaccine has started to deliver in your country ,we are expecting it here in March most probably
our weather is dry cold unlike our northern areas where my home town lies
how pleasant to have family celebration in this December ,Happy birthdays to both of your grandchild ,may they see many more healthy prosperous years ahead with loved ones ,amen!
wishing you a Healthy ,Happy <peaceful year my friend filled with grace of Lord and love of family!
Gosh, your grandchildren are growing up. Time moves right along.
ReplyDeleteLovely images, eye candy ;-)