Episode 245 - Dracaena Fragrans IV

 

This plant has been with my family for over 15 years. 

It first flowered in the spring time of 2012 and bloomed again in 2013.   It stopped flowering for 11 years since then.   

By the end of last month,  the plant developed 2 flower buds. It started flowering on the eve of the Chinese New Year and is fully bloomed now.

Episode 244 - Those were the days

I found these two photos from a book published in around 1910, showing the Qinhuai River and the Confucian Temple Area.

Let the photos speak.

Episode 243 - River in Prime Time

These photos were taken by me, alongside the river banks of the Qinhuai River, during a visit to Nanjing in November last year.

This particular section of the river at where I took the photos was situated at the heart of The Confucian Temple Area (named after the Confucian Temple erected nearby).  It was evening time. The temperature was low but the tourist area was packed with people - a must visit place it was!

In addition to the Confucian Temple, another famous spot in the area is the Jiangnan Examination Centre through where the ancient governments picked their civil servants among the outstanding students.   This was therefore an area of importance in ancient China.

Running through the city of Nanjing, the Qinhuai River should have witnessed all the ups and downs in history of China.

Whilst the river was silent, I could tell, from what I saw during the journey, that the up trend is definitely re-surfacing again.

Episode 242 - Advertisements or Fantasies?

The above are some of the many interesting, and beyond imagination, advertising signboards erected on the walls of the buildings, all along the streets in downtown Obihiro, Hokkaido.

It appears to me that the people there are not just advertising their goods and services.  These signboards are their fantasies and imaginations come true.

Episode 241 - Where is the Fairy?

The above is a photo of a michi no eki ("roadside rest area") situated along Japan National Highway No. 39.  This eki is called Meruhen-no Oka Memambetsu, meaning the Hill of Fairy at the Memambetsu (which old town, having merged with Higashimokoto, is now known as the Ōzora-cho).

It would appear that the outlook of the eki does not live up its name.  However, this is a "must visit" eki for many photography lovers.  It is because the eye catching spot "Hill of Fairy" is situated within half a minute's drive from the eki:

It's easy to drive pass this wonderful spot without noticing it if you come from a long distance.  The best way to do is to stop at the eki, take a rest there before start searching for the fairy.  

Episode 240 - Transient Beauty

Ryu Sei No Taki 

 Gin Ga No Taki

 Rope ways to Mount Kurodake

A frozen stream along the rope ways to Mount Kurodake

Landscape at Sounkyo

I took these photos at the Sounkyo and Mount Kurodake scenic areas.

Compare with the Shiretoko Goko Lakes, the landscape in the Sounkyo and Mount Kurodake scenic areas provide an intended visitor with some sort of comfort.  The quality of the landscape here will not be affected much by weather.  Sounkyo and Mount Kurodake could provide a visitor different but all aesthetic atmospheres whether it is a sunny, misty or rainy day - regardless of the weather, all is and will be well.  But a misty / rainy day would definitely diminish the enjoyment of a round trip at the Shiretoko Lakes - bad weather, bad luck - because the mysterious lakes' beauty will only be transiently presented under the sun.

My family spent an enjoyable day in the Sounkyo and Mount Kurodake scenic areas. The weather was not stable - occasional sunshine with mist and patches of rain - but that did not affect our journey.

Standing in front of the Ryu Sei and the Gin Ga Waterfalls, and watching the water lines crawling down the rocks like silver strings amid the golden sunlight, my joyfulness could not be expressed in words;  Sitting on the lift chair bound for the Seventh Level of Mount Kurodake amid the misty clouds, I felt like I was entering a land of deities. Such a touch of heart experience is incommunicable and could not be captured by photos.  Were they not also variants of transient beauty?

Episode 239 - The String that Drew us Back (Part 2)

Our 2003 Hokkaido trip, from which we brought back so many lovely memories, was the motivating force behind our decision to start the recent journey.  

Revisiting a place is like taking certain "emotional risks".  Any change in circumstances, whether in weather, traffic, food or personnel involved, might upset a re-visitor's established image of his "holy-land".

We took that risk nevertheless. 

The above are photos of those places where we put our steps on once again. They are Lake Mashū, Sulphur Hill and the Lake Ashoro Roadside Rest Area.  They were even more attractive than we were there in 2003.

The cakes of the confectionery shops at Obihiro, which I do not have a photo here, were still yummy!

Episode 238 - Hidden Treasures

We discovered this flower park on our way to Kitami City.

According to the information available, this place is called Kitami-shi Onneyu Hot Spring Flower Park, which is ancillary to an Agricultural Interchange Centre, established to facilitate the agricultural development of the district.

The park is not publized as a sightseeing point in the Kitami-shi official website, likely due to the nature / purposes of its establishment.  We saw an uphill direction road sign, in respect of the flower park, after visiting the Onneyu Hot Spring Roadside Rest Area.  We followed the sign and reach the garden shortly.

In this Hokkaido journey, we intended to skip over those sightseeing points which would always packed with groups of tourists.  Hence we bypassed the flower beds in Furano and Biei.  We did not know some beautiful flowers were awaiting us in Kitami.

Every tourists attraction had a time when very few people noticed of its existence.  Whether this site will become popular in the future is not a matter for me to judge.  One basic rule in my self-help travelling handbook is that a traveller needs to have a sense of curiosity, without which one will miss a treasure trove even if it is in a within reach distance.

Episode 237 - Going Up or Going Down?

 Sekihoku Pass

Shiretoko Pass and Mount Rausu

Bihoro Pass
(Gurutto Panorama Bihoro Pass Roadside Rest Area

plus views of Lake Kussharo from the Pass)

The above are photos of some of the mountain passes at each of which I made a stop during my recent journey in Hokkaido.

In Japan, a Mountain Pass ("峠") is a road side facility constructed at a site adjacent to the highest point of an uphill road where visitors can park their cars and take a break.  Usually it comprises only of a car park plus a public toilet.  Occasionally, it is in the form of a Roadside Rest Area ("道の駅") offering various services for visitors to get over their fatique from long driving.

Due to its unique location, a mountain pass is, apart from being a resting point, also an excellent place for landscape photography.

As you may be aware, the highest point of an uphill road is at the same time the starting point of a downhill road (Hence, the character "峠") .  You can't always move upward. Once you reach the highest point, it is natural that you will go downward.

So enjoy the landscape once you are at the top. Bring it home with good memory without regret.

Episode 236 - Mysterious Water

Lake No. 1

Lake No. 2

Lake No. 3

Lake No. 4

Lake No. 5

The above photos were taken at the Shiretoko Goko Lakes earlier this month.

The Shiretoko Goko Lakes comprise of five small lakes mysteriously located in the midst of primeval forests at the eastern tip of Hokkaido, Japan.  The Shiretoko Mountain Range forms an artistic backdrop to the lakes.  This area is the habitat of many wild animals, including brown bears and deer.

Our scheduled visiting day was within the Bear Aware Season for the lakes district.  During this season, visitors are not allowed to enter the trails leading to the five lakes unless accompany with and lead by a registered guide.  The size of a tour group and the commencement and completion time of each walking journey are strictly regulated.   Visitors without making prior arrangement with a registered guide can only take a walk on an elevated walking path which leads to Lake No. 1 only.  We wished to see all five lakes so we made a booking with one of the registered guides.

The weather in Shiretoko is not stable.  I was worried by the various weather forecasts in respect of the district, which forecasts change their predictions nearly every day!  It would certainly not be satisfactory if the weather turns out to be bad on the day of a booked tour.

As you can see from the photos above, the weather turned out to be fine and, many thanks to the experienced registered guide, we had a big day in this Hokkaido journey.

Episode 235 - Dragon Wash

The brass water basin as shown in the photo is known as the Dragon Wash.

If you rub the handles of the dragon wash for a while with wet hands, the basin will emit some distinct sound with water droplets jumping out from the water surface of the basin.  This is a resonance phenomenon.  The force transmitted through the handles drives the wall of the basin and the water to oscillate with greater amplitude at a specific frequency.

It would appear that, apart from passively waiting for / receiving live water, static water can also be awakened by actively applying suitable oscillation force.

Episode 234 - The String That Drew Us Back

These photos were taken at Kenroku-en Garden and the nearby Kanazawa Castle during our summer journey.   For Judith and myself, that was our second visit to these two locations.  The first visit was made some 30 years ago!

The Kanazawa city has changed substantively since our first visit.  The railway station is now modernized and a number of high rise buildings have been erected around it - it is no longer the traditional Japanese city in our memory.  What remain unchanged are the Kenroku-en and the Kanazawa Castle.

The beautiful images of the garden and the castle stayed in our mind for over 30 years.   It seemed that there was some sort of string that kept on pulling us back - Here they are again. What an experience!

Episode 233 - Fairy Tale Wonderland - the Shirakawa-go Area

Shirakawa-go is a small village situated at the foot of Mount Haku-san in northwestern Gifu Prefecture. It was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.

We started our journey from Takayama City.  It took us about one hour's drive to arrive at the car park of Shirakawa-go.

With the green rice fields scattering in the front, the huge trees in Mount Haku-san form a dramatic backdrop to the antique village houses.

Walking along the paths in this picturesque village, I felt as if I was entering the wonderland in where the totoro was living.  The beauty of the village appeared to be flawless through the lens of the camera.

I compared what I actually saw with what's recorded in the old photos of the village as posted on the internet.  I found that the village should have been substantively renovated and refurnished in recent years. Whilst the old hardware was still there, I would say that what I saw amounting to a brand new village.  It was no longer a "real" village which people earned their living from farming - whilst they still raise their crops, the same should no longer be their main income source.  

I am not sure if such renovation work meets with the approval of a naturalist. 

For me, the renovated village looks good.