Charming winter...

This is my first winter season in Japan. The first snowfall occurred in Tajimi on 2nd December. It was really interesting and I felt so happy seeing the cotton-like small pieces of snow flying down the sky. But that snow didn't stayed on earth for long. By afternoon everything melted off. What I saw outside was the cars parked down and the roofs and trees wearing white caps.

But the first heavy snowfall occurred last night, on Dec 17, which we noticed only after the roads got fully covered with snow. In the next morning, that is today, when we got up, everything outside seems to reflect the white colour - the roofs, roads, cars, trees - everything looks totally different. Yesterday was highly cool and everyone here said that it will surely snow without any doubt. The wind was forceful and it filled everywhere with a freezing weather.

         I went for  a morning walk, first time in this season, to see how it looks after the snowfall. Now only, I came to understand that it is really troublesome to walk through the melting snow as it cause slipping. Every vehicles are moving very slowly. Most of the people were traveling by foot and trying to catch the train than their own vehicles. Since I went for a walk, it was interesting and loved the nature's beauty in its white dressings. I had my camera with me, which I clicked every now and then. Even though it is the usual path of our walk, this time I felt everything different and every places seems totally changed. I will share some of the pictures from my today's morning walk..I am so happy!!

                     Now the snow started melting off. ;( I'll share my winter experience further again.

The beauty of Kokeizan and Eihoji temple in two different seasons...

It's my second visit to Kokeizan of Tajimi. I visited there to years back after a spring season when I could find calm greenly atmosphere throughout the area. There were no much visitors there and it was some special day at the temple. We saw the Zen monks and their chantings. It  attracted me since I am seeing such a number of monks in their meditation for the first time.

After that I read about the Zen temple Eihoji at Kokeizan. Eihoji temple as established in 1313 and is a learning school for Zen Buddhists. Then, it might be some practice sessions for the monks that we had seen there at that day. 

Zen monks in meditation.

It was just after the spring of 2012 : 

The temple was under repair when we went there that time and couldn't see it at all. In-front of the temple, there is a pond with Koi fishes and a bridge above it connecting the temple and the garden. The garden has every Japanese trees adorning its beauty. 

The bridge over the pond in-front o the Eihoji temple

 There were some autumn trees that have started changing its colour, and some sakura trees with flowers also. Behind the garden was a river with calm banks here e spend some hours. It was really a wonderful experience spending time at the bank of the river sitting quietly looking at the flowing water, hearing the sound of its flow.

The river behind the temple's park

Some garden views...

The giant ginko tree

Now in 2014's autumn : 

It's after two years that I  again made a visit to Kokeizan. I love autumn because o the colourful world it creates around us. Everywhere looks yellow, orange, red and its variations along with the greenish texture. It as a Sunday morning when we reached Kokeizan. Its reddish all around with Autumn trees. The new appearance of the Eihoji temple had invited a large number of visitors over there. Some wedding ceremony was going on there.  

The gate of the shrine near the temple.

Beautifully swept yard of the shrine.

Eihoji temple - a vie from the top.

Eihoji temple.

 The Koi fishes were feed by children and they both looks happy. Seems like fishes are enjoying the autumn.

Koi fishes in the garden pond

  The temple which was under repair during my last visit is now opened for the visitors. This time, we have a Japanese friend accompanying us. She always try to convey the writing we found there and talked about the things we found there.

Autumn colours in the garden.

The large ginko (Iccho)tree that we could see at the front yard is more than hundreds of years aged. But instead of the other Ginkos there, the giant one is still having green leaves the most.

Then we went through small path for the pedestrians running between the small forest of the mountain top. There were a lot of trees with name-boards. Also a small portion of bamboo forest is also found inside it. There are a number of small Buddha statues on the sides of the path.

Bamboo forest.

As we reached the top of it, there as a white statue over there beside the road. It is a monument built for the reminiscence of the warriors ho lost their lives in the world war.

Statue near Kokeizan.

Momiji festival at Soji park, Toki

                I went to Sogi park on a cold Sunday evening with a friend's family to see the Momiji festival(lighting). It was really crowded as we reached there. The parking areas were completely filled and we have to park the car at some distance of 10 minutes walk from the park. Walking in the cold as really dreadful as I am going to have my first winter in Japan very soon. 

                 
                 The cold breeze of that day was intolerable. The park had some 200 yen entry ticket per person and there were a lot of maple trees illuminated with different colors.

                   The water bodies around makes a clear reflection of the red trees full of lighting. We walked around for a long time. There was a girl dressed up in Japanese traditional dressings like Kimono and an umbrella. And some people started covering her for taking photos. Our friend started flute down a tree and we enjoyed and waited nearby.

 

            We saw some people gathered around the fire and enjoying their food.The cold made me jealous about them, I also felt like joining them as I couldn't tolerate the cold anymore.

 

                  After that, we bought some soup which gave a relief from the cold for sometime. After that we spend some more time around the park and returned.

Colorful autumn (aki- 秋 )

Being from the Southern most part of India,we don't have an autumn season. I have learned from textbooks about the four seasons, but not yet seen the difference and beauty of those seasons in reality. I have seen a lot of photographs of colorful Maple trees in autumn. Some of those made me to think that it might be edited by someone. But I saw, enjoyed and realized the beauty of autumn 2014 in Japan. The paths were adorned with red,yellow and orange colors and their reflections in water further enhanced the beauty. Sometimes I am thinking that as Spring is the season of flowers, autumn is the season of colorful fruits and leaves.

The reddish maple trees, olden yellow colored ginko trees  and some trees with orange leaves, some others full of colorful fruits, it's really awesome the colors created by aki.