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As a result of all the heat and rain of the past few weeks, my garden has exploded! Once the rain stops, I'll need to rearrange all the pots so they have a bit more breathing room. It’s one thing to be close together in winter when most of the plants don’t have any leaves. But now? It's a bit too squishy!! Remember, though, that I have about 150 pots. I'm going to be busy! This is from my garden yesterday. Lately, I haven't had many chances to take photos though. Life's been just too busy!  Oxalis (also known as wood sorrels or false shamrocks)
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If you drive to Awaji Shima from Kansai, you must cross the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (such a beautiful bridge!) and soon, you will come to the Awaji Highway Oasis, a rest stop for travellers. However, we rarely stop since, despite the spectacular views, there are usually too many people. This time, however, we decided to stop since it was spring, and there's a beautiful garden behind the rest stop that is easily accessible on your return to Kobe. It did not disappoint! We wished we had more time to explore, though. Maybe next time. Akashi Kaikyo Bridge: www.japan-guide.com/e/e3559.html Awaji Highway Oasis: thegate12.com/spot/1327  The view of the garden behind the main building. Now, imagine the sound of several very noisy bullfrogs.  Some of the azalea bushes were in full bloom. This was a kind I was not familiar with.  Although I'm familiar with white azaleas, these were a first.  The first bloom on an azalea bush. We went on yet another short trip to Awaji Shima – our third since the new year. We ended up staying in the small town of Sumoto. This wasn't our first time staying there since usually, we visit in February when it is much colder, and our options are limited. This time the weather was gorgeous, and we spent most of our time outside exploring the town and enjoying the beach. We also discovered some fantastic local restaurants. On the morning we left, we visited a local indigo dying studio, AiAii, which had a small shop. They grow the plants used for dyeing locally, and the process is very time-consuming. It was all very interesting, and I'd love to take one of their workshops one day. We will be back – but probably not until next year. Sumoto Trip Advisor: www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g1022843-Sumoto_Awaji_shima_Hyogo_Prefecture_Kinki-Vacations.html AiAii (Japanese): aiaii.blue/ AiAii FB Page (English): https://www.facebook.com/AiAiiIndigo/  The beach at Sumoto  The beach at Sumoto  The beach at Sumoto: Looking back at our hotel  The view of Sumoto from the 8th floor terrace of our hotel. We ate our convenience store breakfast up there with not a soul around.  A morning stroll through Sumoto  And a return to the beach The last stop on our trip was in Tsuyama in Okayama Prefecture. We arrived just in time for the Tsuyama Sakura Festival. Tsuyama Castle's Kakuzan Park has around 1000 cherry trees, and they were all in full bloom. It is one of Japan's top 100 famous sakura spots, and I can certainly see why! We enjoyed the cherry blossoms so much we went twice – once in the evening and once the next morning. There's no such thing as too many cherry blossoms! Tsuyama Sakura Festival: en.japantravel.com/okayama/tsuyama-sakura-festival/65382  Kakuzan Park, Tsuyama  Kakuzan Park, Tsuyama  Kakuzan Park, Tsuyama  Kakuzan Park, Tsuyama  Kakuzan Park, Tsuyama  Kakuzan Park, Tsuyama One of the highlights of our trip to Shimane Prefecture was visiting Yushien Garden, a large Japanese garden noted for its peonies. We were there off-season – spring had yet to fully arrive – but it was beautiful nevertheless! We had the grounds almost all to ourselves. Ah, it was so peaceful and quiet! It's highly worth a visit if you enjoy Japanese gardens. (And did I buy a plant from their garden store? Why, yes! Yes, I did!) Yushien Garden: www.japan-guide.com/e/e5807.html  Yushien Garden  Yushien Garden  Yushien Garden  Yushien Garden: Tulip and ranunculus display in the exhibition area  Yushien Garden Peony |
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I'm a photographer based in Osaka, Japan. I like to share.
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