White Blossoms

These plum blossoms were in full bloom a few weeks ago.

Plum blossoms are called "Ume (Ooh-meh)" and they are loved by many Japanese as they signal the start of spring.

Don't they look lovely against the sky?

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Bare Branches

Hi Friends, how have you been?

I've been here in Shinjuku the whole time but wow...things got a little busy! Work is always a little chaotic in the spring, as most companies have their fiscal year end in March. Our company announced changes in personnel, which I hear is a very Japanese (do companies not shuffle their employees around in your country?), and it seems I'll be working in a whole new sector starting April. So I'm a little nervous and excited at the same time. Not to mention a little sad to be leaving my current position which was a lot of fun. But I'm optimistic my new position will be just as interesting!

Anyways, it's been raining off and on here in Shinjuku. It is definitely spring!

I've been taking black and white photos again since it's kind of dreary at times. I really liked how the bare branches were reflecting in the water puddles on my way to work the other day.

Is it spring where you are? Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

On the Edge

I was walking along the river, which are more like canals here in Shinjuku, when I spotted these little pots of plants decorating the fence.

The plants were so random, cactus and smaller plants like herbs. Someone must have gone through a lot of trouble to place these here. I'm guessing the people who live along the river.

The rosy plant in the top photo was my favorite.

Weird Plant

This thin plant caught my eye and so I took a picture of it.

Then I looked closer and took another picture of the bizarre little toys in the pot. I'm trying to figure out if the owner purposely put them there or if some random person just dropped them there.

The more I look at it, the more I start to like it.

Brrr

Oh wow. I'm feeling the cold every time I step outside lately.

Can you believe we only have one more day until the new year? Have you already decided on a new years resolution?

I hope you are all enjoying the last Friday of the year!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Bright at Night

Ginkgo leaves are gorgeous at night, too!

It's once again my busy season at work and since the sun sets around 4:30pm these days, I've only been able to enjoy the brilliant yellow leaves after dark. But they are quite beautiful under the street lights and many people were looking up to admire them while walking by.

Painted Yellow

The golden ginkgo leaves are starting to pop up all over the city lately!

Some are still a little green while others are scattered all across the sidewalk. But either way they really brighten up the streets!

Hope you're enjoying a bright and beautiful day...Happy Friday!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Hot Pink

I think this is a type of camellia.

The bright pink caught my eye. I love that flowers as bright and cheerful as this chose to bloom at the start of winter every year. It really brightens up my day!

NOTE: I've learned from Rurousha that these flowers are called Sazanka (山茶花) in Japanese and I guess is technically a camellia as its scientific name is Camellia  Sasanqua. But like she said in the comments, the Sazanka blooms in early winter as apposed to camellias in late winter and you can tell the difference as a Sazanka drops its petals one by one while a Camellia drops the whole flower!


Thank you Rurousha!!! (And everyone else, please go see her blog filled with gorgeous (and I mean GORGEOUS!!!) photos of Japan!!!)

Golden Glory

I was so excited when I found this ginkgo tree in all its golden glory the other day!

Spending most of the day in the office and getting off of work when it's pitch black outside, there really isn't much time to enjoy these lovely fall colors. But I have a whole hour of lunch break and when it's a sunny day like this, I can't help but walk around and take pictures!

Crossing my fingers for more days like this. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Little Red

Look what I found!

This plant growing on the side of the road. I've no idea what it is but it looks very Christmas-y, don't you think?

Fall Gradation

I just got home (11:30pm) from the office, and although I know that's not late for some people...I like to get off of work on time everyday so it feels REALLY late to me. It feels like my jaw is going to fall off from so many yawns. So I'm going to bed now and will go visit all of you tomorrow!

But before I go, I just wanted to show you our fall colors that we're seeing a bit more of around Shinjuku. The bright colors mixed with the dark greens are lovely...and I keep on finding really great leaves to collect.

Can you guess what kind of tree these pretty leaves are from? (Hint: Japan is famous for its flowers!)

Ruby Red

Hello friends. I'm finally back on my feet after my long weekend trip.

It seems like while I was there, we stepped right into fall here in Shinjuku! The leaves are gradually turning different colors...and I'm loving every minute of it!

For those of you who read and/or commented on my last post...just wanted to let you know that my speech at my best friend's wedding reception went surprisingly well. I did end up crying a bit but my friends said they liked my speech so I'm happy with it! Thanks so much for the supportive comments and I hope you all enjoy a lovely fall weekend!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Pots and Plants

I love how all these random pots and plants are lined up in front of this house.

Precious Blooms

This is a type of orchid we call "Kocho-ran (胡蝶蘭)" in Japanese.

They are really gorgeous and smell heavenly. In Japan, this Orchid plant is often given as gifts to celebrate new companies or a launching of something.

These Orchid plants have long branches that droop over where the big flowers are growing neatly in a row. And it's a known fact, although I'm not sure if it's still true, that each branch costs about 10,000 yen. (About $100...or a little less now with the high yen rate.) Isn't that ridiculously expensive?

Most of these Orchid plants in the photo bellow had 5 branches each!

Wrapped In Vines

Is it just me or do vines make anything and everything romantic?

This was just a locked gate on the side of the road. You can see the lock isn't even fancy or anything. It's just a regular lock. But I really liked how the vines are intertwined here.

Falling Out of Summer

Purple is my favorite color so of course I had to snap a shot of these pretty flowers.

This morning it felt like autumn. A very very hot autumn, but still autumn none the less. You may think that would just be summer...but there was something in the air.

Can you feel autumn just around the corner, too?

Hanging On

How awesome is this.

The sound of cicada is a sign of summer here in Japan. And believe me, they can get pretty loud. You can also find their discarded skins, like this one, in the trees and bushes during this season.

I bet little boys still use these to chase after girls during recess. 

Perspectives

This sweet little bee just worked itself into my shot while I was trying to take it. But I liked it better with bee there so I thought I'd post this today!


Also, this is actually a  long overdue post that I've wanted to do as an answer to Dimitri's Perspective post. He asked us what we were doing 1, 5, 10 years ago and where we see ourselves in the next 1, 5, 10 years.

I  am not the most goal oriented person around but I thought even a go-with-the-flow girl sometimes needs to take the time to reflect and plan. But since you know I really don't write very well, I'm using snapshots. What better way for you to get the picture?

So here it goes...

[10 years ago (2001)]

Just out of high school, fresh as can be. I'd gone to high school in a very rural area of Hiroshima and my university was smack in the middle of one of the biggest cities in Tokyo. Everything was new and exciting. Also, college for me was an oasis...after almost 5 years of constantly challenging my brain to relearn my native language after coming back from growing up in the US, I was able to relax into my English literature classes and really learn. And it was wonderful. 

[5 years ago (2006)]

Just changed jobs for the first time. For me, it was one of the biggest steps I'd ever taken. I've always been stuck between the need for change and the need for stability...and usually stability wins. But sometimes even I surprise myself by randomly making a change. This was one of them. And the minute I started working at my new company, I knew I had made the right choice. They made me feel that I was needed there and I learned that that is one of the biggest motivations for me.

[1 year ago (2010)]

At this point, I'd been living on my own for a few years in Tokorozawa. In between work, I had joined the CityDailyPhoto community and was taking pictures left and right, and also rushing back and forth to my hula lessons, which I'd been taking for about five years. Summer is the peak season for hula performances and that led to even more lessons and practices. It was a challenge to keep up with, both physically and mentally, but it was also a really wonderful thing to find something I could be passionate about. For me, it was sharing snapshots and hula.

    

[Today (2011)]

Today I am living in Shinjuku. The commute to work was getting a little ridiculous so I moved a little closer. And although I'm taking a little hiatus from hula, it has given me a chance to spend more time with family and friends, and I'm still loving sharing my new city with everyone. There are so many places to see and so many people to meet. I really love living in this city.

[1 year in the future (2012)]

Hmmm...I even have a hard time figuring out where I'll be a year from now. But by this time, I'm hoping to have gotten back to my hula again. Maybe take a few photography classes, too. I've always wanted to. Also hoping to have a more flexible work schedule so I can go visit family more often.

[5 years in the future (2016)]

If I ever were to change jobs, it would probably be around this time. I guess I also wouldn't mind settling down a bit and getting married. But, of course, that really isn't up to me so I can only keep my fingers crossed. (And maybe you all can keep your fingers crossed for me, too. hehe.)

[10 years in the future (2021)]

This is just too far ahead for me. 2021 sounds like a title of a futuristic movie and by that time I could be a nun in the mountains of Scotland or a barista at a Starbucks in Shinjuku. But where ever I am, I hope that I am happy and safe. That's really all I can ask for!

So there you have it...my attempt to put things in perspective. Thanks for reading this long long looong post. The 14th was actually my birthday and I thought there was no time like the present for a post like this. It's made me realize that I'm ready to embrace what ever life has install for me!

So...how about you?

*I will hopefully be back to regular postings by the end of the week. So very sorry I haven't been by to comment :(

Hozuki Market

Hozuki is a plant with a fruit that resembles a lantern when it's ripe. In this photo it's still very green but in a couple of weeks it'll be a dark orange color.

It's used as a decoration during Obon, a Japanese Buddhist holiday, where people welcome the spirits of their ancestors back into their homes. The Hozuki represents the guiding light from the grave and back again when Obon is over.

At the Kagurazaka Festival they had a Hozuki market in a lot of the stalls. Many people bought the plants to take home and grow. Obon is in a couple of weeks and the plant will probably be ripe just in time for it.

Have you ever seen a Hozuki before?

Green Curtain

Today was Umi No Hi (海の日), or Marine Day, which is a national holiday that celebrates the blessings of the ocean and hopes for the prosperity of Japan, a island surround by the ocean.

For many students this holiday marks the start of their summer vacation. It's also around this time that the season for summer festivals start. Very exciting!

But this summer is also about conserving power, which started out as a necessity and sort of grew into a fashion. We love trends in Japan. And one of the things that people are doing to conserve power is to grow a "Green Curtain" outside their windows. This is suppose to bring down the temperature inside the house 3C.

How do you stay cool in the summer?