February 27, 2004
Plumb Blossoms and Jizou
I shot the plumb blossom (plumb=ume) this afternoon in a grove of trees just outside my house. The row of Jizou shot was taken in front of a Buddhist temple near where I meet my Japanese tutor. I think Jizou are supposed to represent people who achieved enlightenment but stay around to help others on the way. Correct me if I'm wrong though.
A couple of weeks ago the news reported the first wind of Spring. All the seasons here begin with changes in the wind, so these reports are always heartening or discouraging, depending on the season. The coming months are a window of cool, colorful days between cold, wet winter and hot, wet summer. The plumb and peach trees are blooming now, and cherry blossoms will follow at the end of March. Then the winds will come and blow the blossoms away in a shower of "blossom snow" (it sounds better in Japanese).
I'll be posting 2004 cherry blossom pictures in my gallery sometime in early April.
Posted by jw at February 27, 2004 10:04 PMI would just like to say that I love reading all of your postings! My grandmother is Japanese, she lived in Naha, Okinawa, and she came over to the US over 50 years ago with my grandfather, an American soldier. She left behind her family, including her twin sister, to start a life here. I went to Japan with my grandmother and mother when I was 18, in 2000, and although I have never been to Japan before, in many ways I felt that I was home. And reading your blogs helps me to have that feeling again...