Got some sad news about one of Japan's national historic sites, the
Yubikan at Iwadeyama Osaki, collapsed by the earthquake. On July 12 of 2007 I did visit here...
This historic building was from 1692 and it was the
oldest place for academic activity in Japan. I call myself very fortunate for having been to this place as a chaperon and team leader, during our cultural exchange trip to our Sister-City of Osaki in JAPAN. See my previous blog with
{News from Our Sister-City Osaki in JAPAN}.
Squatting down as to not obstruct the view of this ancient building...
The Japanese garden has
trees that are over 300 years of age. Together with the big pond it was a beautiful site to visit and that's what we did, we walked and also entered the building. You can see the
Osaki City Official Website by clicking on the hyperlink.
This is the image that I got today from our International Association of Osaki City's chairman in Japan via Facebook. He got the tap water coming to his house on Saturday so he could take a bath. They still have difficulty buying gasoline though.
The Japanese photographers made us squatt down slightly as to not obstruct the beautiful building; rightly so!
Now let's enter this special place for family education, after first removing our shoes...
That day I was wearing
my barrett with sunflower for a purpose, as the
town of Sanbongi, where we lived with our host families,
does sunflower farming and has about 420,000 sunflowers on Sunflower hill during the summer. Read more here:
Sunflower Hill.
Okay, let's get on the bus and visit the Bamboo Arts Workshop before lunch. In the afternoon we did go into the mountains where the hot springs are. Beautiful scenery all over.
We all got our apron and a sharp knife to cut some bamboo, in order to make a kind of a propeller on a stick that you rub between your hands and it takes off...
Learning the tricks of the trade; the sad part was that we moved on and thus my skills lasted only very briefly.
Almost done...
It yielded me two bamboo propellers and they ended up with our family in Germany, in the Eifel...
- One more garden gem I want to share with you today. There are several things to show right now but this is a very special form of Euonymus japonicus 'Ovatus Aureus' (Golden Euonymus) that bears pinkish fruits in winter. The young leaves are such pretty golden right now; let's have a look.
- The flower buds are already being formed. This picture is from Monday the beginning of spring and also very much the beginning of the 'pollen season' as you can see on its leaves. But the sun created such a nice striking light in the late afternoon, that I had to capture it.
- This photo was taken five years ago when Pieter did get it here at a local nursery in exchange for some exotic plants that he had grown. It is a shrub and will not grow very tall.
- Pieter took this photo a week ago, you get an idea about its size and you also can see that the new growth of this evergreen shrub is really golden; hence it's name 'Golden Euonymus'
- This photo also was taken by Pieter a week ago. And below you can see the fruits that it bears in winter.
- Those older leaves are no longer golden. They are loaded with the pollen of today. That only gets washed off with a heavy rain. But that's just the time of the year now.
- Cars and everything gets 'yellow' and we also have yellow cats...
- Such light at 5:40 PM (17:40) it makes one really happy that spring is in the land.
- If you're in the area, stop by and have a Garden Tour with tea in the gazebo afterwards. Check to Book an Event.
Our dear friend Rebecca had a birthday and I'd ordered by
Celestina Marie Design some special artwork, involving yellow roses. It came in the mail inside the same parcel of which I did a blog on March 4;
{Celestina Marie Design Send a Parcel}... Now I can reveal this artwork to you as well. Remember, Celestina Marie has been the artist that made Christmas ornaments for the White House's Blue Room Christmas tree in 1998 and 2004. See also below for a very special GIVEAWAY by Celestina Marie Designs...
'FAMILY the center of life's meaning FAMILY'
That was a perfect and very meaningful text for this purpose. Our dear friends have adopted us into their family. That is so warm and touching and we've shared our ups and downs, being there for one another at times of sorrow and joy. Since both of us have no kins here in the USA it feels so warm to have family now on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Celestina Marie Designs did take great care in wrapping it in a pale green tissue paper with an organdy bow. Please do visit her blog as she's having a great giveaway hand painted Easter bunny by her; see below.
Celestina Marie Designs not only gift wraps the art work in a fabulous way, but look at the enclosed Thank You card with Celestina Marie's own art work...! Who would not want to receive such a special gift! Of course, if two First Ladies received her artwork; why can't we?
Even the back of her artwork is adorned by a special label with yet another of her famous roses...
You better hurry over to her blog:
Celestina Marie Design right now to participate in this lovely drawing and maybe win this sweet Easter bunny, done by Celestina Marie Designs.
