April colors in Asuka Village

Asuka Village is dyed in pink, yellow, and fresh green in April.

Asuka is one of the places I feel connected to ancient times: the wind I feel on my skin would be the same wind blowing through time and space and the ceaseless flow of the Asuka River connects now to the past. The name Asuka conjures up images of ancient love stories and tragic legends.

 the Asuka River near the Asuka Bridge

Asuka was once the capital of Japan from the late 6th to the early 8th century.  Prior to Nara Period (710-784), wherever the reigning emperor had a palace became the capital.

Buddhism, which was imported from India via China and Korea, was foreign culture and revolutionary change of thought.  It was not only religion but also medicine, science, astronomy, and so on.  It was immigrants from China and Korea who settled in Asuka and led Japan to the great transformation in art, culture, and politics.  Asuka was also the stage for the bitter power struggles. 

around the Ishibutai Burial Mound

This place is outside the Ishibutai Burial Mound, one of Japan's largest burial mounds, which is said to be the tomb of Soga no Umako.  According to some elderly, there was no gate and no fences and they could freely approach to the exposed huge rocks which form the burial chamber's upper portion in the past.  The landscape of huge rocks lying in the vast field of wild flowers must have been awesome.

 

While most of the legacy of the Asuka Period is buried underground, many ancient burial mounds, ruins of ancient palaces, mysterious stone objects, and sites of temples that no longer stand as well as the several extant temples including the oldest Buddhism temple in Japan, are dotted on the gently rolling hills.

Asuka is noted for the rice terraces.  Rape blossoms and milk vetches bloom here and there till the rice seedlings are planted.

稲淵/Inabuchi district

bounded rice straw

This is one of a pair of sacred ropes hung across the upper Asuka River to receive the fortunes carried down from the upper stream.  Another sacred rope wards off the evil spirit believed to come from the down stream.

Tachibana-dera Temple

Tachibana-dera Temple is one of the several extant temples in Asuka and is believed to be the birthplace of  Prince Shotoku, a regent to the emperor and politician.  He looked to China for political and religious inspiration and succeeded in establishing a centralized government.  He was inspired by Confucian teachings, and taught "Harmony is the greatest of all the virtues.", which is still in the heart of many Japanese people.

the roof of  Tachibana-dera Temple

This is the three storied pagoda of Oka-dera Temple.

Can you spot the pagoda in the mountain?

Visitors can relax and unwind themselves just being in Asuka.  My husband and I didn't enter any temples or historical sites.  We just walked around the area leisurely and had homemade "bento", a box lunch, viewing the scenery and flowers in the soft breeze and sunshine.  Rental cycle and bus services are available.  If you are interested in autumn of Asuka, have a look at Strolling around Asuka.

A few days ago my mother got hospitalized for the pneumonia-like symptoms: yesterday her illness was diagnosed as infective endocarditis, potentially life-threatening one.  She is a green, old woman overcoming two plastic surgeries on her left thigh (at the age of 88) and then right thigh (at 90),   My siblings and I take turn being with her, praying for the best. 

Awaji Hana-sajiki



At Awaji Hana-sajiki in Awaji-shima Island, kobe, the dream of spring unfolds with yellow rape blossoms, mauve murasaki-hanana, and linaria.  The flower fields stretch over rolling hills with vertical difference of 50-60 meters.  Under the sunlight, yellow flowers all turn into gold.

Yellow blossoms are common in the countryside of Japan.   They are “na-no-hana” in Japanese which do not always mean rape blossoms for seed oil but all the yellow flowers of mustard or cabage family like potherb mustard "mizuna."

"After the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, sunflowers and rape blossoms were used to decontaminate soil in Ukraine. Radioactive cesium is similar to kalium, a commonly used fertilizer. If kalium is not present, sunflowers will absorb cesium instead."  "......the researchers are considering using hyperthermophilic aerobic bacteria--used to produce compost--to decompose the plants. The decomposing process will reduce the sunflowers to about 1 percent of their previous volume, which will slash the amount of radioactive waste that needs to be dealt with."

Above is excerpts from Daily Yomiuri Online introduced by my English teacher.  I think it's a good idea to depend on nature's way when nature can make up for human blunders.

紫花菜,  murasaki-hanana,  orychophragmus violaceus

  

“Hana-sajiki” literally means "flower-first balcony of a theater": flowers are overlooking the sea like "sajiki" overlooking the stage, and flowers are viewed from higher "sajiki", observatory at the summit as well.  On a sunny day, Seto Inland Sea is clearly visible, but unfortuntately the sea was dim, very weakly shining due to typical spring haze in that direction on that day.   Can you see dim harbor in the distance?

 linaria



Poppies had just started blooming for the next stage.  Cows were grazing nearby, fresh breeze was blowing so softly against me...., I felt peace, free and comfortable.  Talking of "free", both admission and parking are free of charge.

Within 10 minutes’ drive, there is Nojima Danso Hozonkan (Fault Preservation Museum) in Hokudancho where was the epicenter of Great Hanshin Earthqukae (1995).   Dislocation caused by the Earthquake is preserved in the building.  In a simulator, visitors can experience the shaking of the same intensity and duration which hit the island.  Sudden very strong vertical jolt and then violent horizontal shaking for about 4 minutes was quite scary.  The museum staffs hope it will remain not as just a memorial of the past but as a constant reminder that people must stay prepared without fading memory.

Find your favorite place on "sajiki" and  relax!

Awaji-shima Island connected with Kobe City by Akashi Straits Bridge is full of beautiful nature.   For more posts related to Awaji-shima, click “Awaji-shima Island” in the “Labels.”

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