Memories of the summer、2016

Hello, Friends!  Nice to see you again.
How have you been?

I've enjoyed idleness and casualness that summer affords.

By the way, do you know deer look the most beautiful in summer?

Their antlers are the finest and their coat is brighter with clearer white spots.

My part of the world had been gripped by the terrible heat wave 

about a month till the last weekend.

Hot, hot, too hot!

But summer isn't all that bad.

The burning red flowers of Japanese crape myrtle bring coolness 
when swaying on the water surface.

Sunflowers bring delight with their yellow round faces under the scorching sun.

This image of sunflower without ray florets looks like praying

and reminds me of the hard-work of seeding for future.

Winged visitors flit around the small sunflowers in my garden.

When high temperature warning was issued, my three grandchildren stayed at my home.

Their cheerful shouts sounded inside and outside the house.

They especially liked splashing.

They also enjoyed jigsaw puzzles, card games, and fireworks in the evening.

Two three-year-olds simply enjoyed being together with their cousins.

The eldest F braved the heat to practice walking on stilts and served shaved ice.

I went to Tokae Candle Lighting Festival during Obon.

Obon is the time when the spirits of the late people are believed to come back to their home.

The last day falls on the Memorial Day of the WWII which was ended by the two atomic bombings.
I can't help being somber and appreciative for the peace we have now.
I pray for the peace of the world

Kagami-ike Pond, Todai-ji Temple

Sarusawa-ike Pond and Five-storied Pagoda of Kofuku-ji Temple

The dangerous heat still continued for a while after August 23, 処暑 (meaning "limit of heat"), 

the 14th season of 24 divisional seasons of Japanese old calendar.

Now that August is over,  mornings and evenings have gotten cooler

and I sense subtle changes in the color of water or the smell of air.

My favorite season is on its way.

At 5:30 p.m. at the Sansha-ike Pond

Linked to Weekend Reflections

Night strolls at the Grand Front Osaka



Grand Front Osaka, the new town including the massive commercial, residential and entertainment complex, was opened in April 2013 after 10 years’ construction. It spreads on the 24 hectares former rail yard and Japan’s most valuable real estate.

December



Conveniently located only a short walk distance from the terminal JR Osaka Station, it is a new hot place where diverse people including tourists, residents, workers, etc. gather.





Architectural space design made the area look both mechanical and organic, static and fluid.  The town flows from the top of 38-story buildings to the second basement floor in pleasant sequences, featuring water and greenery among the stairs and buildings made of concrete, steel, and metallic glasses.

November



Champagne-gold LED light bulbs are used for the illumination in December.

a close-up at the left-center of the photo above

A stream flows through the area and there is also a cascade.

November

December

Especially at night the water adds magical feel to the area.

Both visitors and locals gather for pleasure and inspiration. 

a bike with two child seats

 There are open cafes along the road with "keyaki", Japanese tree of the genus Zelkova, between the North and the South Towers. 

November

December

 You’d be surprised to see how Osaka changed if you haven’t visited long.

Though Osaka had been only a transit point for me between Nara and Kobe, recently I look forward to exploring Umeda area on my way back from Kobe in the evening.  I saw many foreign tourists strolling along the winter illuminations at the Grand Front Osaka as well as the Umeda Sky Building (my post here), which is the most frequently visited site by the foreign tourists in Osaka.

Umeda Sky Building on the right

Now that the first week of December is over, things are speeding up, but I like to remind myself to slow down.  This post is going to be my last one of the year 2013.  Thank you, my dear Friends, for your kind, supportive, encouraging, heartfelt, or enlightening words, which have kept me feel inspired. 



 Wish you a Wonderful Holiday Season including a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Panoramic views at the "Sky Walk" from dusk to night

The Umeda Sky Building is one of the high rise buildings in Osaka, Japan’s second largest city.  It is a landmark in the northwestern Osaka. 

Umeda Sky Building was chosen as one of “The Top 20 Buildings Around the World” by Dorling Kindersley in The Times in 2008.  The design, a pair of skyscrapers connected in midair, is rare in the world. “In terms of high-thrill buildings, you don’t get much more of an adrenaline rush than the Umeda Sky Building. Two gleaming, high-tech, 40-storey towers stand side by side, reflecting the sky, joined only at their top two storeys. The enormous void between the towers is crossed by bridges and escalators, and a rooftop observatory, open to the elements, offers unparalleled panoramic views of the city to those staunch enough to brave the vertigo.” (The Times)

Image via Wikipedia
"Sky Walk" is the circular part on the top.

The escalotor which connects 35th to 39th floor "Floating Garden Observatory" is the longest, the most beautiful, and the most thrilling escalator I've ever riden. I felt like that I was ascending to the sky through the catheral-like dome.  The sky and the city below can be seen from the escalator, but be careful if you feel dizzy.

“Sky Walk”, the rooftop corridor of the "Floating Garden Observatory" which connects two main towers, is open to the sky.  Let's enjoyy the fresh air and 360-degree panoramic views.  

Up and down escalators in midair

The sun is softly setting behind the Rokko Mountains dyeing the cities in purplish hue.

The north side is still bright in the softened light.

When placed on the right side of the first photo, this photo and that will make a panorama.

These are some buildings towering above its neighbors in the east. 

Over the mountains is Nara where I live.

  The sun is emitting its dazzling final glow.

The Yodo River flows into the sea in the south.

Electric lights start to be lit up here and there.

The whole corridor is paved with phosphorescent stones that absorb ultraviolet rays. When the darkness is fallen, those stones start emitting light on their own to produce a fantastic promenade.



Under your feet

Lit-up escalators and the city below seen through the void from the Sky Walk

  The city is transformed into the sea of light.

The brighter the city becomes at night, the less visible the stars are.  While I think there's nothing like clearly visible starry sky, I like to see the twinkling sea of the city light.

Each light looks to show miracles and wisdom of human mind. I wondered where we would go when we climb up the civilization, while admiring the man-made twinkling beauty in the cool breeze.  I really hope these lights not be extinguished by human follies.

These are two of some bridges I cross by train or by car when I go back to my hometown, Kobe.

I saw more foreign tourists from various different countries than Japanese on the observatory. 

Umeda Sky Building is one of the most frequently visited tourist destinations in Osaka. 

Prayers for the repose of the soul and of gratitude

Nara Toka-e Festival (Candle Lighting Festival) takes place from August 5 to 14 prior to the climax of Obon. It is not an old festival but started 15 years ago.  Nara Park and its surrounding World Heritage Sites are illuminated by the lights from about 15,000 candles.  Almost all the electric lights are down except some low light for footsteps safety.

Ukimi-do Pavilion started glittering in a golden hue at 7. p.m. at Sagi-ike Pond, Nara Park

Currently Japan is enveloped in the fierce heat wave.  Temperatures reach 36 to 37 degrees C and soars to 40 degrees in certain areas.  When I was in Nara Park, evening squall was refreshing while it was lasting but when it stopped, it was so steamy that I felt like I was in a sauna.



  Soft pink flowers of Japanese crape myrtle looked glowing in the misty dusk. 

Candles are lit up one by one by the volunteers. Lighting a candle is, in itself, a prayer for the repose of the soul and of gratitude. Tohoku struck by the 2011 massive earthquake and tsunami is always in our prayers and thoughts.

As the night advanced, many images came and went in my mind
like the boats with the candles on the bow coming and going in the dim.

I’ll be away from the blog-sphere for a while.  Obon is a time-honored observance of impermanence, reflection and appreciation on our own life, gratitude to the late people, and having joys of family reunion.

Bamboo objet at the Asajigahara Field

Wish you the very best in the rest of August.  See you!

Leaving from the darkness of Kasuga Shrine to the lights of the traffic