my day off with the flowers

It had been a while since I really went for a walk.  Alone.  No appointments.  

I had "homework" from work, but I thought..."No, I'd rather enjoy spring."

So I did.

The first flowers that welcomed me on this warm day were, of course the tulips. 

                                            　　　　　　　　　　　　

Red tulips are my favorite, but this year these pink ones have really caught my eye.  I peered inside one, not that I thought that I would actually find anything...but there, right there, you can see a cherry blossom petal!

So, I set off to Sakura Shukugawa to see the Sakura.  A 10 minute train ride from my home.

I was shocked...

The flowers here were already falling like confetti from the trees.

Sakura blossoms that have lots of baby leaves like this are called "hazakura" (leaf sakura)...

and the word sounds so sad, because it means the end of the cherry blossom season.

But with hazakura you can take a good look at the tree's trunk since the blossoms aren't as prominent as when they are in full bloom.

                                               Sakura trees have beautiful branches, I think.

If you look really closely you can see some people enjoying lunch under the cherry trees.

Shukugawa (Shuku River)

夙川

夙(shuku) is a kanji character that means 'young' or 'early'...in the middle ages the Shuku were the people in this area of Japan who worked for shrines and more recently for people who crafted things with clay or bamboo.  

However, these days it is only used for the city and river name.

The pink petals that have been blown off the trees by the wind, float down the river...

This is another type of sakura tree.  There are quite a few different kinds of sakura.  The one above is Shukugawa Mai Zakura  and the one below is called Kanzan.

spring did come!

The tulip that I so gallantly claimed would be red...turned out to be pink.

and here are some yellowish ones too!

other things are blooming too!

this is a small "grove" of young cherry trees right along the street where I live!

Yeah! My spring is official now!

I was sick for a few days and EVERYTHING had stopped in our house...washing, cleaning etc... BUT Mother Nature is always moving along outside!

Dear Diary, spring has arrived and I got sick!

Tulips as of April 3rd...
I think this tulip is planning on being red.

Oh dear...I have never been away from my computer this long...while at home!  

I had a fever of 39°C (102.2℉) and was COMPLETELY delirious.  

The doctor says (since it wasn't the flu) that the fever came from an infected throat...rrrgh.

I was supposed to go to work on Saturday and Sunday but that was impossible!  

Everyone at the new office was pretty cool about it...they think it is because of the stress on the job.  I have NO IDEA!  I just noticed that on Friday night that I did not feel like reading! AND that food did not taste that good!

While I was in "Tulsa's Never Never Land"... a few things seemed to have happened here in Japan... 

The pro baseball season started, North Korea fired a missile that flew over northern Japan,

I turned 38, and flowers started blooming like crazy...

a block away from where I live there is a young peach tree...

Speaking of peaches! From my very talented friend Peach, who lives in northern Kyushu:

Aren't the cherry blossoms lovely?  I need to go grocery shopping today...let's see if I can come home with some pictures of the flowers in my area! (Kansai)

All sorts of things are getting ready to bloom!

The habotan is a type of cabbage plant that is often seen in New Years decorations and in planters lining streets in Japan. Although you can see them almost year round, they are at their strongest during December to March.

I found this cluster of habotan next to a building in the Motomachi (Kobe City) area.  It's hard to see since the white hues came out pretty bright, but the plant was rather huge, the flowery part at least 20cm tall!

Right now it is the beginning of cherry blossom season - the famous sakura flowers that will decorate river sides and parks across Japan will be filled with happy "picnickers".  They'll be out there with their plastic blue sheets layed out on the ground, racing to get the perfect spot to take in all the beauty (only to be blurred by all the food and alcohol.)  I can't deny the Japanese of their true love for the cherry blossoms, but it is also an excuse to get drunk outside;-)

Right now in Hyogo and Osaka Prefectures, the cherry trees have little green buds sprouting out...                                                               Can you see them?

Once these buds have bloomed the battle among the cherry trees will begin!  (Trees don't battle, the people do.)  Every year, new recruits are ordered to leave the office early (sometimes they don't even go to work, they go straight to the park) so that they can "reserve" areas for the night's party under the trees.

After the sakura, it will be the rainy season in Japan.  The rains will bring colorful hydrangeas. 

This is not "my" hydrangea plant, but it is right by the street I walk by everyday.  

It has been blooming very nicely every year for the past 3 years.

Oh, and here are the tulips.  

They have grown quite a bit these past few days since it has been pretty warm!  

Flowers here, flowers there, I see flowers everywhere!

Tulip Season (2)

I know, very bad resonance..it's my phone camera again.

This is a picture of the patch of tulips that are in a better lit are.  They are growing faster than the other batch by the wall.  

Here is an updated picture of the exact same tulips I took a picture of last week.
They haven't grown very much because of the shade and the recent cold weather...

In the background of both pictures you can kind of see the peonies that look like deflated balloons. :-(

The end of March is supposed to bring blooming cherry blossoms, so the news reported in Japan today.  If I don't get to take pictures, I know my friend Momo will!

Tulip Season (1)

Tulip season is sneaking up on us.  The bulbs that were planted over a month ago are gradually poking their way out of the earth!  Every year, I mean to 'document' their growth...and never do!  But this year, with this blog, it looks like I can make it happen!  The first photo, taken today seems to have my finger at the bottom...sorry 'bout that!