Tag Archives: flowers

Water lilies in mid-September

Leave a reply

In the middle of September some Water lilies (Nymphaea, スイレン) and other aquatic plants are blooming at the Kusatsu City Aquatic Botanical Gardens (草津市立水生植物公園みずの森). Many of the flowers look a bit tired and wilted, but a few continue to stun visitors with their beauty.

Water lilies (Nymphaea, スイレン) and other aquatic plants

Water lilies (Nymphaea, スイレン) and other aquatic plants at the Kusatsu City Aquatic Botanical Gardens (草津市立水生植物公園みずの森)

Water lilies (スイレン) and Victoria cruziana (パラグアイオニバス)

Water lilies (Nymphaea, スイレン) and huge Victoria cruziana (Santa Cruz water lily, パラグアイオニバス) leaves at the Kusatsu City Aquatic Botanical Gardens (草津市立水生植物公園みずの森)

Water lilies (Nymphaea, スイレン)

Water lilies (Nymphaea, スイレン) at the Kusatsu City Aquatic Botanical Gardens (草津市立水生植物公園みずの森)

Water lily (Nymphaea, スイレン)

Water lily (Nymphaea, スイレン) at the Kusatsu City Aquatic Botanical Gardens (草津市立水生植物公園みずの森)

Water lilies (Nymphaea, スイレン)

Water lilies (Nymphaea, スイレン) at the Kusatsu City Aquatic Botanical Gardens (草津市立水生植物公園みずの森)

Water lily (Nymphaea, スイレン)

Water lily (Nymphaea, スイレン) at the Kusatsu City Aquatic Botanical Gardens (草津市立水生植物公園みずの森)

Kusatsu City Aquatic Botanical Gardens (草津市立水生植物公園みずの森

I feel very fortunate to live near the Kusatsu City Aquatic Botanical Gardens (草津市立水生植物公園みずの森).

From my home it is only a 25-minute drive. Since I am over 65 and a local resident, it costs only ￥150 to see such beauty in a well-maintained environment.

White-eyes in Camellias at Hatonomori Park

1 Reply

Hatonomori Park in Moriyama City (守山市の鳩の森公園) has small grove of sasanqua camellias (カンツバキ) along a small stream. They bloom in early December.

Sasanqua camellias (Camellia sasanqua カンツバキ) in Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園), Kojima-cho, Moriyama City

Sasanqua camellias (Camellia sasanqua カンツバキ) in Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園), Moriyama City

Sasanqua camellias (Camellia sasanqua カンツバキ) in Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園), Kojima-cho, Moriyama City

Sasanqua camellias (Camellia sasanqua カンツバキ) in Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園), Moriyama City

In mid-December Japanese white-eyes (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) gather in the camellias. These photos were taken on December 17 and 19, 2016.

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園), Kojima-cho, Moriyama City

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園) in Moriyama

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園), Kojima-cho, Moriyama City

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園) in Moriyama

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園), Kojima-cho, Moriyama City

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園) in Moriyama

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園), Kojima-cho, Moriyama City

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園) in Moriyama

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園), Kojima-cho, Moriyama City

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園) in Moriyama

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園), Kojima-cho, Moriyama City

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園) in Moriyama

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園), Kojima-cho, Moriyama City

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園) in Moriyama

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園), Kojima-cho, Moriyama City

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園) in Moriyama

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園), Kojima-cho, Moriyama City

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園) in Moriyama

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園), Kojima-cho, Moriyama City

Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus, メジロ) in a camellia tree at Hatonomori Park (鳩の森公園) in Moriyama

See more of my photos on Flickr: Greg Peterson in Japan.

Hatonomori Park in Moriyama City

I often ride a bicycle from my home in Ritto City down along Yasugawa to Moriyama, and then on city streets over to Hatonomori Park. Usually it’s a quiet place, except when people play ground golf, and often wild birds can been seen in the trees. Last August I posted a recording and some photos:

Hatonomori Park in Summer

As we can see on the map, the park is in a residential district of a small city. As of November 30, 2016, the city reported a population of 81,126 Japanese and 858 foreigners (自治会別・地区別人口). More information about Moriyama City is on the city website in Japanese (滋賀県守山市).

Small truck driving away from camera on a narrow street.

Recycling Collection Truck at Hayashi Kita

Leave a reply

On May 5, 2014, a quiet and gloomy holiday here in Ritto, the loudest sound was the loudspeaker of a recycling collection truck that slowly drove around the neighborhood. Such trucks often come on Sundays and holidays. I recorded this one at the Hayashi Kita intersection as it made a loop around the Hayashi neighborhood.

Under the pedestrian overpass I noticed some wild flowers.

Low angle photo from under a pedestrian overpass

Wild flowers growing under the Hayashi Kita pedestrian overpass, with fields and a mountain in the background.

This poppy will win no beauty contests, but it’s doing okay considering its location.

Closeup of a wild poppy, with one petal in upper right turned down.

Wild poppy at Hayashi Kita intersection

I suppose these weeds will be cut by a maintenance crew, but for now they’re surviving and adding a little natural color.

Cherry Blossoms and Bugs in Takano

Leave a reply
Entrance to a Shinto Shrine, with right side of torii gate, stone lantern, and vertical stone with the Kanji for Takano Jinja.

Takano Jinja (Shrine) Entrance in Ritto City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

Cherry trees bloom at the beginning of April at the entrance to Takano Shrine and in Takano Park next to the shrine. With both old and young cherry trees, Takano Park is a good place to see blossoms up close.


Cherry blossom buds in Takano

Many people go to famous sites to view cherry blossoms from a distance as scenery or as locations for picnics, but I prefer quiet places where I can get close enough to look carefully at individual blossoms.


Beetle on cherry tree

Close viewing reveals more than details of blossoms. Trees host many small creatures, and sometimes we humans are fortunate enough to see them. The beautiful trees and blossoms that we admire serve other creatures in different ways.


Cherry blossoms

A branch that offers serene and delicate beauty to humans may be a site of dramatic struggles for survival.

I hope people who view cherry blossoms will take time to look closely and see the richness of nature that lies beyond our conventional notions of beauty.


Trees and flowers can give us great pleasure, but they also nurture many other creatures with whom we share Earth.

More photos are in my my Flikr set, Cherry Blossoms.

Retirement Day One

2 Replies
Closeup of cherry blossom, surrounded by semicircle of four blossoms from upper left to lower right, with stem from lower left and blue sky background.

Cherry blossoms in Ritto on April 1, 2014.

Today, April 1, 2014, is the first day of my retirement from full-time work. It is a beautiful day here in Ritto City, so I took my camera on a short walk along the fields near my house. Cherry blossoms are beginning to emerge along the irrigation canal that runs through Hayashi.

It’s a great pleasure to have enough time to enjoy such scenery on a weekday! I’ll continue to teach communication and media two days a week, but I no longer have other duties as a university professor. So far retirement feels wonderful.