Good strawberry

As I wrote in Japanese blog, the strawberry on Kay 21 was not yet fully ripened.

The owner of the firm invited me to visit in weekend to get ripened strawberry.

So, I visited on 26^th after adjusted business schedule.

Strawberry is like that of the photos.

And got fully ripened strawberry full in basket!!

He planted many other vegetables and so called dessert peas that can be eat without cooking, are ready for eating.

I have seen as first time that broad beans are growing toward to sky!

Just taken out Japanese white radish was very tasty.

However, last year, his firm have problem because it is positioned back side of

Rokko

Mountains

and therefore foreign origin raccoon attached his firm and all sweet potato that all his friends were expected the harvest was completely eaten by raccoon!

They eat only inside and left the skins of the potato。

If somebody knows how to prevent the attack of the raccoon, please comments.

Night of Katsuragisanbou (Katsuragi Mountain Villa)

To attend Tea ceremony, I arrived little before 7 pm.

When entering from the gate, very Japanese rooms that illuminated by round rights are floating in the mountain dark.

My step is stopped and fascinated of the scene.

It is pity that my camera did not work to get such nice scene.

When I was invited, I replied simply.

However, when I get into waiting room and introduced to trainees, I remained that I have to sit down uprightly.  I did not carry special fabric as well as papers to be used.

The attendants are 2 young ladies, 1 youth 3 middle aged peoples.

I sat down in the place accordingly to follow the person before me.

After only 3-4 minutes, I got a pain already and regret to be presented here because I am sure I will create problems.

I got the first tea cup and took accordingly to read of the parson next to me.

And had to break my upright position then I could breathed.

I took second tea.

Then, mistress asked me to make the tea.  I had already made troubles I did made tea according to given instruction from mistress.

It was very nice experience for me.

On the alcove, hanging scroll with writing of former master of Kiyomizu temple in

Kyoto

, nice Bizen tsubo where iris was placed and musk were decorated.  Those are very important items for tea ceremony.

However, sit down in upright is very difficult for me and during the time I could not think any than the pain!!

The ceremony is planning every second Saturday from 7 pm with yen 500.-.

It is necessary to make reservation few days before.

As I introduced before ( in my Japanese blog ), it is so nice and I get charmed since that time.

Just after Golden week, 4 galleries in Kokawa made special exhibition and in here, Mr.Eisho Sakai, hand Yuzen artist brought quite number of his products and had a lot of visitors.

Because it is so nice place, garden, view from garden and room, if someone want to operate music instruments, poem, Haiku, etc, that fit to this environment, please call phone number of the Villa owner: 090 8524 3544.

Address: 16-Higashikawahara, Kinokawa-shi, Wakayama-ken.

Weaving club (Club Ori)

The name looks like the name of Club in Shinchi (entertainment place in

Osaka

where a lot of bars, clubs, are located)

On May 14, we have made experience training.

All peoples jointed are having no experiences of weaving.

First, every body arranged warps and stuck onto holding bar.

Then insert Ayatori bars, and insert the warps into read.

Then fix all warps onto holding bar at front.

With this, the preparation is over.

Holding bar at end is to fix to rail like photo.

Holding bar at front should be fixed by rope to own hip.

Now, start of weaving.

When woven fabric is getting, every one excited!

Because it is the first woven fabric by own.

Depending on the density of warps, thickness of weft yarns, kind of yarns, etc, the effects get a big variety.

When people got this basic, they can extend the world of weaving.

Next meeting is organizing to be held at straw roof house in Wachi/Kyoto where stay over night and covering:

*members who did experienced, they shall make own tools.

*members who shall join as first time, they do experience training.

*then, we shall watch romantic firefly at surround of the house.

Negoro Temple

May 13, Actually, I planned to go up

Yamatokatsuragisan

Mountain

down to Kokawa, but due to the rain, I switched to visit

Negoro

Temple

.

From JR Kii station I took bus to Negoro.

And I walk up to the temple in the rain.

Because of the rain, tourists are very few.  Less tourists is quite welcome for me even in the rain.

This

Temple

was founded it place by Ennogyoujya(ascetic in 7 Century) may be it was natural because it is

Katsuragi

Mountain

rejoin, home place of Ennogyoujya..

During Muromachi era, there are about over 2,700 temples but most of them where burnt out by Kishu conquest by Hideyoshi army in year of 1585.

At entrance to Komyoden, I bought 500 Yen entering ticket from young priest with him, I had fanny talk.

“With this ticket, can I enter to the garden?”

“Yes, but be quiet please”

“Can I enter to Gyojyado too?”

“Yes, but quiet please”

“Do you see me as noisy parson?”

“No, but quiet please”

Without clear feeling, I took off the shoe to enter corridor and saw beautiful garden under the rain.  The garden is designed with behind mountain wall so, giving impression of big size garden.

After one turn of the surrounding corridor and step in to Myokouden, my walk had to stop because in the main hale, marriage ceremony in from to Buddha is just going on solemnly.

Difficult! I had to walk just behind of the couple!

Finely, my eye catches the eye of senior priest and I send sign of walk by 2 fingers and show him the way I want.

Then the priest moves his head up and down slightly and sends me sign to go by hand.

I walk on tiptoe with stealthily like thief and could reach the other side of the hall and get in to Gyojyado safely!

Very dark.  When one step in to the room, the lump on.  When I step to the center, the lump switched off. Very funny.  I sit down in front of Ennogyoujya but cold not see his face therefore I took photo with flash right though I did not know if it is prohibited to take photo.

When I walk behind of the couple again, the time to make oath is started.

First, priest say the word to oath, the couple followed. They hade may be 10 to 15 words of oath and after that I could walk back again to entrance.

At the entrance, I spoke young priest that “I could understood what he said about to be quiet. Are all priest here in this temples are going to have marriage ceremony in front of Buddha?”

“No, very seldom. It is first time I saw, so you must be very lucky.”

After that, I saw also big pagoda that is build by wood and ranked biggest wooden build pagoda in

Japan

and is national treasure because it savvied the attack of Hideyoshi army.  The pagoda was built in year of 1496.

I have very impressed by

Negoroji

Temple

!

Red rose

Without blossom this red rose, I did not get easy.

Yesterday, the rose got full blossomed and thus took photos under rain but rose stand upright.

Today, I took the same rose but not kept upright anymore due to the rain continued from yesterday.   It is pity that I could not take photo of the rose shine under sun.

However, I got nice photos due to the rain that is the beads of water formed on rose petals。

It seemed that the surface of rose petals have very fine and thin hair which repellant to got in of water molecules. Water is therefore form ball by surface tension but after the ball got some diameter, the ball shall dropdown.

Shaga

Shaga is called Iris Japonica.

It bloomed one week ago.

I took Shaga from mountain side at

Kyoto

.

White Rose is the first Spring rose in my garden.

The size is about 15cm diameter.

Second Ohanami

When highway bas passed out from Ena Tunnel, I could see fully blossomed Cherries are here and there.

Yes, time rugs, after Ohanami finished in

Osaka

area, it took about 20 days to have fully blossom in mountain side.

On West direction, there is Komagtake Mountain still having snow on top.

After arrived at Suwa, I took walk to

Takashima

Castle

where just after fully blossomed and flower petals are flying over full area with window.  The pink colored Shidare sakura is just in time.

When I was childhood, there are no building on top of Tenshukaku (castle tower), and we often climb stone wall base and when I get on the top, I felt it is the entrance to sky.