Photo of the Day: Lilies

Japan's seasons roll by drowning in wave after wave of flowers. Seriously—there is always something in bloom here. Right now, depending on which spot you visit, your eyes can feast on the very last of the azalea and irises (just the stragglers are left), brilliant roses, calla lilies, and a purple-and-white-flowered bush whose name escapes … Continue reading Photo of the Day: Lilies

Photo of the Day: Deep in Hasedera’s Cave

At Hasedera, there is a cave called Benten-Kutsu. Inside the cave, along the walls, are carvings of Benzaiten, the goddess of the sea, and her children. It's not a big cave by any means, nor is it deep. But it's dark and damp, and quite low in places. Being at the far end of the … Continue reading Photo of the Day: Deep in Hasedera’s Cave

Photo of the Day: Summertime is Jimbei Time

Japanese summers are hot. And humid. And loooong. It's hard work getting through those months. Luckily, the Japanese have designed a few different outfits to help things stay cool. The first, yukata, is a summer kimono of light cotton. While men's yukata are fairly plain and subdued, women's yukata burst with colour—floral patterns abound, with … Continue reading Photo of the Day: Summertime is Jimbei Time

Photo of the Day: Boatful ‘a’ Shells

It's sazae season down the Shonan coast. Sazae are, well, sea snails (or, more accurately, turban shells, a kind of mollusc). Mmmmmmboy, right? ...I'm not a big fan. I like escargots, but that's mostly because they're drowning in garlic butter, sometimes lost in pastry, and always small. Sazae are not small. The Japanese love them—grilled, … Continue reading Photo of the Day: Boatful ‘a’ Shells

Photo of the Day: Getting the Stink Eye From Crows

The waves pre-typhoon brought in quite a collection of debris, including a rather large moray eel, called an utsubo in Japanese. It was *quite* the popular fish with both the crows and kites (a bird of prey). As the crows were more plentiful, they beat out the kites, which had to be content to circle … Continue reading Photo of the Day: Getting the Stink Eye From Crows

Photo of the Day: Taifuu Ikka

After a typhoon blows through, the weather goes from wild to wonderful. That perfect post-storm weather is called taifuu ikka in Japanese. Last night, we had a very early typhoon blow through. Typhoon #6 (Noul) was a super typhoon when it hit the Philippines and Taiwan, but was much, much weaker when it arrived in … Continue reading Photo of the Day: Taifuu Ikka