It is for Mei-Shun, or her favorite play along with petal catching in spring. Since Mr. Gingko in our backyard started to change clothes, lovely yellow fragments fall on the floor of eastern balcony every day. When they are dry, it would be very easy to choose clean ones to keep. On the other hand, she has to wait for a while before discarding brown ones to collect wet beauties on read newspaper.
Tsukuba Botanical Garden accommodates a lot of attractive plants. Your eyes would be drawn toward a beautiful guard just after one step into this institute. Well, let’s stop gazing at it, or you cannot go beyond the front gate. Walking between mammoth sequoias, a greenhouse to grow Savanna plants appears soon. Mei-Shun loves these white cacti while Shin Lithops or living stones.
Our backyard gingko finally began to turn yellow. He is the last to do so, that means autumn is leaving soon: temperature in early mornings has already sunk under 3 degrees Celsius. Mr. Aladdin has asked Mei-Shun to replenish his stomach for a few times. Now, blown by gale after gale of winter, she receives another occupation to pick up fallen leaves in balcony.
Mei-Shun’s first workplace in Shinagawa accommodated splendid view from a wide window facing the sea under an expressway bridge, where rainbow often saw us rejoice its perfect color and shape. A national research institute has many lovely trees including her favorite 山櫻=yama-sakura, a wild cherry. And her current office at home enjoys Christmas cactus in a big pot of Shin’s grandfather this year.
Dr. K kindly sent a box of beautiful 富有柿 to Mei-Shun the other day. She was very happy while a bit surprised, e-mailed him to show her appreciation. He immediately replied that above persimmons are from his birthplace 岐阜. His remote relatives living there own an orchid, began to enclose these beautiful leaves and a leaflet in fruit boxes following his wife’s advice.
Which would you like, tea or coffee along with marvelous desserts in dry and warm air, both indoors and outdoors? Mei-Shun’s favorite café around here in Ibaraki Prefecture gives you perfect satisfaction. Since the friendly owner is a flower lover, you can enjoy autumn roses both planted and in vases right now. Following strawberry-colored cup was served by another in different occupation, yet they nicely share hospitality.
It might be one of the most beautiful scene in Japan — rice paddy after harvest dotted by persimmon trees with ripe fruits left on naked branches. Mei-Shun chose a different route today to go shopping on foot, looking down her normal lane to the nearest shrine from opposite side. Still before 15 o’clock, sunlight cannot warm her shoulders any more. It stops at yellow leaves to make them shine in gold.
We have clear 十三夜, a moon on lunar September 13th tonight. 十五夜, another on lunar August 15th, is rare to be like this. Although rounder, she tends to keep shy wrapped in a cloudy dress. By the way, “Twelfth Night” by Shakespeare is translated into Japanese as 十二夜. 尾上菊之助 or Kikunoe Ryu head Sensha has played it on stage in kimono, directed by late Y. Ninagawa.
Mei-Shun’s hairdresser is a pottery lover. She often visits Kasama City, famous for good products, to choose pretty cups served to her customers. Recent one used for green tea was excellent with patterns of lotus flower, on a piece of lovely wooden coaster which looks like to be made of origami, art of folding paper. Such a space of relaxation, her shop is called a “hair room”.
It continued to rain for 6 days from last Thursday. We saw beautiful sunlight only in the morning of yesterday, followed by a lot of clouds in late afternoon. That’s was why Mei-Shun rushed to walk in 乙戸沼 Park, worried a little if all leaves frozen and browned. To her great relief, a scarlet friend found the first step of her getting off the car. A flock of wild duck swam lively beside wind-distorted fountain traces.
meishunkikunoe 