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The last 2 months have been a whirlwind of activity including the usual Christmas busyness, several unexpected turns of events (all good but they took time), and a one-month visit to Canada to spend time with my parents. Whew! I returned last week expecting to leave Canadian winter behind, only to discover that Japan was experiencing a record-breaking cold spell! For one week Osaka was colder than Vancouver every single day! Yikes! (Keep in mind we don't have central heating so when the temperatures go below freezing, we are COLD!) So, although it's plum blossom season, I wasn't very optimistic when my husband suggested we visit the plum blossom orchard at Yamada Ike Park yesterday. However, to my delight, the plum trees had started to bloom, though they were only at about 30%. Here's some of what I saw yesterday.       The plum blossom orchard in Yamada Ike Park, Hirakata, Japan. Soon this will be a riot of color.
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This fall has been spectacular! We've had weeks of gorgeous weather and the fall foliage has been stunning. Since Kyoto has been completely overrun with tourists this year, we've been trying to find places to visit that are less crowded. One of our favorite places is Yamada Ike Park, about a 30-minute drive from here. These photos were taken on November 9th, 2022. P.S. Have I been taking lots of photos? Oh, my goodness! YES! Have I been doing anything with the photos beyond that? Um... No. No, I haven't. Life has been very full – which is a good thing – but I've had very little time to work with my photos. However, now that the weather is cooling and being outside isn't as inviting, I'm hoping that will change.  Yamada Ike Park, Hirakata, Japan (We often eat our lunch on this bench.)  Yamada Ike Park, Hirakata, Japan (The building in the distance is the same one as in the previous photo.) This week we were able to visit the Hanashobu (Japanese Iris) Garden at Yamada Ike Park a second time. (The first visit is here.) Many varieties were now in full bloom and we enjoyed the garden at our leisure. (To my surprise, there was hardly a soul around!)      For the first time in three years, Yamada Ike Park fully opened its Hanashobu (Japanese iris) garden to the public from May 25 to June 25. You still can't walk around willy-nilly as before but at least you can now walk along all the boardwalks. (Two years ago the garden was closed and last year only about half of the boardwalks could be used.) We went in early June so some of the irises had yet to bloom. Still, it made for a lovely morning out. The little wooden signs indicate the variety of Japanese iris (small writing) and the name of the iris (larger writing). Some day I will be able to identify Japanese irises by name, but today is not that day... For more information about the iris garden: yamadaike.osaka-park.or.jp/flower      Spring is in the air! It's still cold out, and we have been known to have snow this time of year. Regardless, spring is in the air! Buds are starting to form on branches, and, on the ground, there are sprouts of green here and there. What has us all most excited is that the plum blossoms are starting to bloom! The local park has a small hill covered in varieties of plum trees, so a few days ago, we spent a lovely afternoon enjoying the blossoms. There are many varieties, and some were well on their way while others seemed to be just thinking about blooming. I'm looking forward to returning soon.  Plum Blossoms, Yamada Ike Park, Hirakata, Japan  Plum Blossoms, Yamada Ike Park, Hirakata, Japan  Plum Blossoms, Yamada Ike Park, Hirakata, Japan  Plum Blossoms, Yamada Ike Park, Hirakata, Japan |
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I'm a photographer based in Osaka, Japan. I like to share.
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