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This April, for the first time in 3 years, the Osaka Mint Bureau held its cherry blossom viewing event. The Osaka Mint Bureau is the head office of Japan Mint and has various responsibilities related to coins. However, it's famous for it's 300 cherry trees and every April opens its gates for 1 week to the public. There are over 100 cherry varieties, some quite rare, and they never fail to disappoint! This year visitors had to make reservations to enter and we were able to get a spot on the very first day. Despite iffy weather, the cherry blossoms were in great condition and the crowds were far, far less than in the past. It was a delight to be there after a 3 year break. Osaka Mint Information: www.japan-guide.com/e/e4008.html Video of visiting Osaka Mint: www.youtube.com/watch?v=95YzxcguKdI Information about cherry blossom varieties: khaawsflowerpicture.com/english-main/cherry-english-page/        Cherry blossom pom-poms!  Not the usual crowds. Hurray!
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With all the heat and rain of the past few weeks, my garden has exploded! Once the rains stops, I'll need to rearrange all the pots so they all have a bit more breathing space. It’s one thing to be close together in winter when most of them don’t have any leaves. But now? Rather squishy!! Remember, though, that I have about 150 pots. I'm going to be busy! This is from my garden yesterday. I haven't had many chances to take photos lately though – too busy,  Oxalis (also known as wood sorrels or false shamrocks) If you drive to Awaji Shima from Kansai, you must cross the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (such a beautiful bridge!) and soon after you will come to the Awaji Highway Oasis, a rest stop for travelers. We rarely stop since although the views are spectacular, there are usually too many people. This time, however, we decided to stop on our way home since it was spring and the one side has a beautiful garden out the back. It did not disappoint and we wished we had more time to explore. 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 but 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 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 |
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I'm a photographer based in Osaka, Japan. I love to take photographs. I like to share.
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