Japan 92 Colors of life9

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JAPAN
Colors of life
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In early summer, most parts of Japan get visited
by a rainy season, the so called tsuyu (or
baiyu), literally meaning "plum rain", because it
coincides with the season of plums ripening
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The rainy season is caused by the collision of
cold northerly and warm southerly air masses,
which results in a relatively stable bad weather
front over the archipelago for several weeks
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In most of Japan, the rainy season lasts from the
beginning of June to mid July, while it affects
the islands of Okinawa about one month earlier.
Only Japan's northern most main island of
Hokkaido gets barely affected by the rainy season
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The rain isn't all that bad during rainy season.
For example, Tokyo gets more rain in September
than in the rainy season months. However, it's
associated with particularly gloomy weather. The
days of rainy season are often cloudy and gray
with a cool humidity in the air
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In Japan, traditional umbrellas are referred to
as Wagasa. In contrast with typical Western
umbrellas which are mostly made of either cloth
or plastic, Wagasa are surprisingly made from
paper. This is achieved by steeping strong
Japanese paper in oil which makes it waterproof.
Wagasa are handmade individually one by one from
natural elements such as Japanese paper and
bamboo 
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Although the use of Wagasa has declined since
the spread of Western umbrellas, they are still
used today in the performing arts such as kabuki
and dance, traditional ceremonies and tea
ceremonies.
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Fashion Brand 3 Fold Umbrella Decorative White
Japanese Kokeshi Doll Anime Cartoon Bottle
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When it rains, youll also find that many grocery
stores put out small bag dispensers. These long,
thin plastic bags are made solely for the purpose
of slipping over your wet umbrella after being
outside in the rains. I guess its good way to
keep the floors a littler drier after a downpour
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Another product that is gaining notoriety for
turning the umbrella concept on its head is the
upside down umbrella known as the UnBRELLA
invented by product designer Hiroshi Kajimoto. As
you can see from the photo, the inside of a
regular umbrella becomes the outside, and the
outside is now the inside. By making it this way,
when you fold the wet umbrella, the part that is
wet is now on the inside, so your clothes or bags
wont get water on them. Also, when you close the
umbrella it stands by itself, so with features
like these that solve traditional issues with
umbrellas, its a design that is currently
gathering a lot of attention
When thinking of a unique umbrella invented by
the Japanese, the most famous example would be
the clear plastic umbrella. Cheap and available
at any convenience store so you can get one
anywhere you go, they apparently fly off the
shelves whenever it suddenly starts raining. As
one of their special features, these transparent
umbrellas wont block your vision, so they can be
used safely on the streets
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Irises bloom in the fifth month of the year,
during the rainy season known as samidare, when
the rain falls gently and continuously
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Hydrangea, which is referred to as ajisai in
Japanese, usually blooms from mid-Jun to early
July after tsuyu, the long rainy season.
Therefore, when the long period of tsuyu comes to
an end, one of the most important events of
Japanese people is to enjoy the beauty of
Hydrangea
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Seasons are a main theme in the Japanese culture.
Flowers are like mirrors to the seasons,
reflecting the passage of time. Fittingly, flower
viewing is a very popular activity in Japan as
most prominently seen in the annual festivities
surrounding the cherry blossoms, but not limited
to them
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It is known to all that hydrangea is the native
plant originated from Japan. And, the perfect
place for hydrangea to grow is the place dull of
warmness and moisture. Thats one of the reasons
why hydrangea blooms after the rainy days
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In Japan, hydrangea has another Japanese name,
nanahenge, which means it has seven changes
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The reason why the flower gets this name is
because the color of the petals can change
according to the nature of the soil
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The color of the flower is determined by the PH
of the growing soil. On the basis of the soil PH,
the color of the petals can turn to dark blue,
light blue, light purple, purple, white and so
on. Therefore, the flower looks different at
every moment
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Goryo-jinja
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The delicate and subtle combination of colors
makes hydrangea more attractive. Also, this
distinctive feature has given the flower a rich
symbolic meaning in Japanese literature. In
Japanese poems as well as the fine art works, the
flower is often used to represent the fickle and
changing heart
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Hase Temple Hasedera is famous for its huge
statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. Every
summer, huge crowds come to the temple to visit
its hydrangea garden. Long queues may be expected
due to the popularity of the hydrangea Enjoy more
than 40 kinds of hydrangeas while walking up the
hills of Hasedera Temple. From the top of the
hill, you'll get a marvelous view of the ocean,
too!
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Hase Temple (Hasedera)
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Jizo is seen as the guardian of children in
particular, children who died before their
parents and is believed to help their souls
reach paradise
Hase Temple (Hasedera)
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Parents place the statues that remain in place
for about a year it is estimated that some
50,000 Jizo statues have been placed at Hase-dera
since WWII
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Hasedera Kamakura - Nagomi Jizo
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Hasedera is a temple of the Jodo sect, famous for
its eleven-headed statue of Kannon, the goddess
of mercy. The 9.18 meter tall, gilded wooden
statue is regarded as one of the largest wooden
sculpture in Japan and can be viewed in the
temple's main building, the Kannon-do
Hall. According to legend, it was carved from the
same tree as the similarly tall Kannon statue
worshiped at the Hasedera Temple in Nara
Prefecture
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Eleven-headed statue of Kannon, the goddess of
mercy
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Hasedera Jizo statues
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Jizo is the first deity most people encounter
when they set foot in Japan. This is because he
is the protector of travelers. Youll find Jizo
peeking out among the grasses along the road,
standing at intersections, overseeing borders, or
sitting in a wooden shelter built especially for
him. Jizo is at temples too, where sometimes he
holds a baby in his arms. He is found at
boundaries between places both physical and
spiritual, between here and there, life and death
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Hydrangea macrophylla 'Jyogasaki Close-up
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Hydrangea macrophylla 'Hachijo Chidori
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Engaku-ji is one of the most important Zen
Buddhist temple complexes in Japan
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Jojuin Temple about 2,250 blooming hydrangeas
cover both sides of the stairway leading up to
the gate of main shrine. You can also enjoy an
ocean view from the top of the stairway.
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Tokeiji Temple is the place to go if you are
looking for a little luck in marriage
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Jojuin Temple You can also enjoy an ocean view
from the top of the stairway
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Meigetsuin is a temple of the Rinzai Zen Sect
founded in 1160 in Kamakura
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Meigetsuin temple is also known as Ajisaidera
("Hydrangea Temple") because hydrangea bloom in
abundance on the temple grounds during the rainy
season around June
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95 of the hydrangea here are of the Hime Ajisai
("Princess Hydrangea") variety they are thus
named because of their pretty blue colors.
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In Japan, the most common places to enjoy the
view of hydrangea is temples and shrines. Thats
because the flower has a special meaning to them.
In ancient times, because of the low-standard
medical technology, epidemics are sweeping
through Japan. Therefore, a large number of
people are suffering from the epidemic. Also,
because of the terrible weather during the tsuyu
period, many people died. In order to remember
the death of the people, ancient Japanese people
used blooming hydrangea to express condolence.
Therefore, an increasing number of hydrangea was
planted in the temples and shrines, especially
during the tsuyu period. At that time, there were
many hydrangea temples and shrines in the village
or town suffering from the epidemic. Shortly
after that, the medical technology developed, the
death caused by the extreme weather during tsuyu
period was greatly reduced. However, even now,
there are still many temples and shrines planting
hydrangea because it is beautiful and easy to
cultivate
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Meigetsuin Temple
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Hydrangeas by Ogata Korin, (1657 - 1716)
Hydrangeas and Wasps by Ohara Koson (1877-1945)
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Sanda Foisoreanu
2017
Sound Toshinori Yonekura - Knockout