To keep the memory alive, to pass on lessons

Today is the 30th anniversary of the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. 

Where were you at 5:46 a.m. on January 17th, 1995?  I was suddenly woken up by long, violent tremors, the biggest one I had experienced in my life, at my home  in Nara City about 80km from my home town Kobe City. Until then, I had never imagined such a catastrophic earthquake would strike Kobe and Hanshin area and how devastating the result was. Kobe people were totally unprepared. Little by little the horrible, shocking scenes appeared on TV screen – collapsed buildings and highways, derailed trains, and fires. Fires were like inferno uncontrolled due to the broken water pipes. I was watching  at the burning Kobe under the hazy shade of winter on the TV screen with the feeling of helplessness.

One of the heart-warming things was people's attitude to help one another, to try their best to move forward, and to stand together to restore the shattered community while tolerating inconveniences.  The destroyed Meriken wharf was restored in less than 2 years. In nearly 10 years, Kobe revitalized like a phoenix from the ashes.

One part of Meriken warf has been preserved as Kobe Earthquake Memorial Park.

With many lessons learned from all the past big earthquakes since 1995, we've been preparing for safety in a Nankai Megathrust Earthquake forecasted in about 30 years.

I ask myself if I'm not just letting the days go by. Our lives could change next day. Isn’t it a miracle when we can live rather in peace amid all the heart-breaking incidents all over this planet?  

Now I’m thinking of those who are affected by the LA fires, firefighters working hard frantically risking their lives, and many other people deeply committed to help.  

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Flowers of May

May 8, 2016

"Botan", or Peony, is one of popular flowers of May.

I walked around the garden of Sekkoji Temple which dates back to the 7th century.

It is also called the "Peony Temple".

Peonies are popular flower at temples since ancient times

with the roots being used to make medicine.

The temple is famous for the legend of the Princess Chujyo.

 In the mosaic below, Princess Chujyo is standing by the Somenoi well,

which was used by her to dye the lotus fiber threads.

The threads were used to weave the famous Taima Mandala.

The explosive blooms of 300-year-old Crape Myrtle tree is summer charm of this temple.

Please have a look at it from the link below the photo.

Summer explosion of the 300-year-old Crape Myrtle, 2012

The Flower Moon sailed across the night sky May 7,

watching over the world struggling with the Pandemic.

I imagined magically moon-lit flowers I'd like to return to see

like Azaleas and Kakitsubara Irises at the Chogaku-ji Temple.

Memories of Grandmother and kakitsubata iris, 2012

And, "Kurin-so", or Japanese primrose, at the Mt. Rokko, too

Floral Galaxy of Japanese primrose, 2012

I feel joy in the richness of the simple life,
imagining the things to do and remembering past pleasure
while caring and thanking for what I have now.

There are things I miss so much but my sacrifice is no problem compared to

what others are going through.

Some of the flowers from my garden

As a number of  prefectures have started to ease restrictions, 
we need to continue "new social behavior" to prevent a resurgence of the virus.
We can do it!

Linked to Mosaic Monday

This and that recently

In spite of the saying "Neither heat nor cold lasts beyond the equinox.",
weather has been weird and unstable with windy cold air in the strong sunlight.
 Colors of water, however, have changed for sure.

What do you see in the photo above?

Water lily pads, reflected bare cherry trees, of which blossoms will start blooming in a week,

blue skies, and soft yellow Sanshuu, or Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc.

I heard from my daughter H who had a trip to Miyama-cho, northern part of Kyoto.
Miyama-cho is famous for more than 200 traditional, thatched roof farmhouses
where people still live and work.
(My post of the year 2011 about the hamlet, here.)

H's lodging was one of the old traditional houses.

Her family experienced simple and slow life.

i-Phone photo taken by my son-in-law

H's family monopolized three rooms (totally 50-jyo, or 100 tatami-mats),
a kitchen, and a bathroom.

The old but not dirty, uncluttered house has been well cared for throughout the years.

The dinner was “hot pot dish” of vegetables picked in the neighboring fields and chickens.

Photos sent to me by my daughter

These two dolls made of Japanese papers or straws were created
by my husband's late grandmother.
They became in bad condition after about 40 years.

As they get older, they've come to radiate more and more mysterious aura.

Meticulously-made bouquet

This plant has an attractive soft shine before crumbling away soon.

One day, I tidied the storeroom.
On finding some of the paintings by my son S in his lower grades,
memories came back instantly
though I had been completely forgetting about the paintings.

At the age of 8

In a few years, S's eldest daughter will become the age 

when he painted these paintings.

From seven to nine

About three-week spring break before new academic school year 

is time to be spent with grandchildren.

It's time to be realized their personal growth.

It's an eventful period including graduation of kindergarten and a concert in March,
entrance to elementary school or kindergarten and ballet performance in April.

I am not a minimalist but in some years I’d like to pare down my possessions

until only things that are necessary for their utility or beauty alone are left.

A container made of milk carton and Japanese papers by H

After enough interaction with grandchildren 

or works of cleaning and tidying up,

there's nothing more like a relaxing coffee time with a cake.

My next post will be Sakura (cherry blossoms) in mid-April.

Keep tuned!

Memories of Grandmother and kakitsubata iris



the Main Hall of the temple

Chogaku-ji (長岳寺)Temple is located on Yamanobe-no-Michi Trail, Japan's oldest recorded road from Yanagimoto to Miwa.  It is said to have been founded in 824 by Kobo Daishi (弘法大師). 

I have been familiar with the temple, as it is in Yanagimoto-cho where my husband’s grandmother lived.  I remember eating somen noodle with her at the temple when my husband first introduced me to her.  She lived a long life up to 105. What was amazing about her was she could chant the Heart Sutra by heart while doing "seiza", Japanese way of formal sitting, even after she turned 100.  At 90, she started visiting the local library once a week where she borrowed several books to read for the week.  Though a bright young student, she was unable to continue her education; as she was the fourth of nine children, she had to help around the house. She devoured reading books as if restoring her dream of youth. While reading, her heart soared free, journeying into foreign lands, falling in love with the heroes, or learning sacred truth.  There were so much for her to learn from books.  These, and other facts, were reported in NHK documentary program, 百歳バンザイ! in which she featured as one of perky centenarians, and a book of the same title; she was then 101.

She was a person like "kakitsubata ",or Iris laevigata, beautiful and upright both in posture and behavior.  Purple color suited her perfectly and she looked most refined in her purple kimono or clothes.  The pond of Chogaku-ji is noted for its kakitsubata flowers in early May.

Japanese snowball/大手毬

There is a Japanese proverb which goes “Which is ayame, which is kakitsubata?”   This proverb is used to describe metaphorically the difficulty in choosing between the two equally beautiful or excellent things.  It’s difficult to tell the two flowers apart, but simply put, ayame has a net pattern at the base of its petals, and kakitsubata has a white color.

Kakitsubata, or Iris laevigata

The base of the Kakitusbata petal is white.
They bloom on wet land.

Ayame, or Iris sanguinea, in my garden

As you see in the photo above, Ayame has mesh pattern at the base of the petals.