Cherry Blossom Front

 

When you visit Japan in spring and watch a weather forecast on the TV, you will see a nation map with some lines drawn on it. They tell you the average day when cherry blossoms will open . I found this map at an expressway rest area.

This cherry tree is a specimen. Not open yet. Do you know any other flower fronts?

Flowers I Found Last Week

Bright yellow brings us the warmer air.

Butterbur Sprout 蜂鬪菜

Ume (apricot) is in full bloom now.

Japan spring-orchid. 

The watering needs carefulness. 春蘭

 

Sweets in Early Spring

I would like to introduce you two types of Sakura Mochi 櫻餅, both of which are very popular and you can get them anywhere.

Red bean jam is wrapped with baked wheat skin. A cherry leaf is salted. It's edible.

The jam is wrapped with steamed sticky rice. You can enjoy a chewy texture.

The delightful scent of the cherry leaf and the rich sweetness of the bean jam tell people the arrival of the spring. 

Lovely Jonquil 👱

 This bean jam is white.

Waiting for the Arrival of Spring

Cold air has been covering our area. Every afternoon we have strong winds. The highest temperature is around 10℃.

Adonis ramosa

Narcissus leaves grew well due to warm days in last December.

Chimonanthus praecox  蠟梅

Comparing with yellow dandelion, white one may have stronger cold resistance. 

Stay warm and enjoy February.

Curry Lunch

Indian curry is very popular now in my area. 

Three elemental spices are turmeric, cumin and coriander.

The left is spinach curry, the center: bean, and the right: chicken. The upper right is yogurt. It can soften the stimulation of chili pepper on a tongue.

 

Park in Winter

By the mid of December, many trees in this park fell their leaves. Silence stayed on the water. The lawest temperature of this day was -5℃.

Ducks were swimming under the warm noon sunshine.

Metasequoia leaves turned red. 水杉

This kind was believed to have been extinct. But in 1946, extant trees were discovered in China. Scientists called them living fossils. 

This is a sundial. The park administration office adjusts its direction in accordance with four seasons.

These are popular maple leaves called Momiji.

A waterfall in a garden.

 

Haniwa

Haniwa are clay sculptures of ancient Japan made from 3 to 7 century. They played important roles in spiritual ceremonies.

Cute horse. Its legs were made short and thick to hold the heavy clay body firmly.

She wares her hair in a disk shaped knot. 

This roof shape is similar to that of some Jinja shrines.

A man playig a kind of harp.

He is carrying a farming tool.

This horse wears bells on its chest.

 

Home-made Quiche with Bacon and Spinach 用菠菜和燻肉做的法式鹹派

😄

Stay warm.

Wearing several thin layers can be more effective than fewer thicker ones. (by PHE)

跟只穿一件厚毛衣和厚襯衫相比, 多套較薄的幾件衣服能更有效地保暖你的身體。

 

White Box in Autumn

???

👇

💝　😄　💝

This type of sweets is called Namagashi, which is made of rice powder and bean jam.

It is served in a tea ceremony. The host select proper sweets to meet each season the ceremony is held. Autumn can be roughly divided into three periods, they are begining, mid and late. In addition, the weather shows its many different faces such as sunny, rainy, warm, cool, chilly and cold. Hosts know nature well.

Tea ceremonies are held as "onece-in-a-lifetime encounter". Sweets are a part of representing this theme.

Cosmos 秋櫻

Guests eat a sweet before having a cup of bitter green tea. Sweetness remaind in a mouth will make fresh bitterness stand out.

Ginkgo leaf with small pieces of gold foil. 

銀杏葉帶著金箔片

Persimmon. This stem is a piece of walnut.

Maple leaves　雞爪槭葉

Cute bird with a ginkgo hair ornament

Chrysanthemum and its leaf 菊花

Inside is adzuki bean jam. I love it. 豆沙

 

Curry Lunch 咖喱午餐

I had a curry lunch last Sunday. The naan was fluffy and chewy. Two curries smelled good and made my stomach active.

The left is vegetable curry containing radish, green beans and potato.

The right is chicken curry with fried eggplant.

I  heard that three spices are basic to making curry. They are turmeric, cumin and coriander. I will try.