Nakanojo Gion Matsuri

Every year on 1st Sunday August, gorgeously decorated floats are paraded through the town of Nakanojo as part of ”Nakanojo-Gion-Matsuri”.
The moment when two floats meet, the crew of floats beat their drums hard. It's called "Kenka-Taiko". They really shine.

Ikebana lesson

I took an Ikebana lesson today.
Japan is just in rainy season now.
This work represents plants are getting wet in rain.
After raining, they are greener and more beautiful than before.
I love them!

Flower materials are Great Cat's Tail,Balloon Flower,Ligustrum Japonicum.

Making bouquet

I said to my teacher last month,"I would like to study making bouquet."
So, today's flower arrangement lesson was how to make a bouquet.
This picture's bouquet was called Paris style bouquet.

The Satsuki Azalea Bonsai exhibition

I came to Satsuki Azalea Bonsai exhibition at Nakanojo town,Gunma,JAPAN.

This exhibition is held at same place every June.

 This work won first prize

 It's beautiful wood surface.

 next prize

flowers in multiple colors on the same plant.

 another prize

 another prize

New nail art

I went to nail salon today.
This design is like a snow-in-summer and milky-way.
Japanese nail art is romantic, isn't it ?

Nageire-bana

This style is called 'Nageire-bana''(free style flower arrangement in upright vases without the use of needle point holders).
Materials are a type of Japanese aster called 'Miyako-wasure', Snow in summer.

Snow in summer is my favorite flower in early summer.

Monomi-Yama

These pictures are scenerys from Monomi-Yama(Mt.Monomi) which located at Saku city,Nagano. I went  hiking there with my friends last weekend. On the way to Monomi-Yama,there is Kouzu-Bokuzyo(Kouzu farm).

 Jersey from viewing the trail up to Monomi-Yama.

Kawaii !

The view from the top of Monomi-Yama.

Arafune Fu-ketsu

I went to see the Arafune Fu-ketsu which is in Simonita town,Gunma. The Arafune Fu-ketsu was cold storage for silkworm eggs. It was built in 1905-1914. Fu-ketsu is a unique facility in which silkworm-eggs were stored in a low temperature, using natural cold air in a mountain. By using such Fu-ketsu,It made possible to manage multiple silkworm-raising cycles a year.

Ikebana lesson

I took a Ikebana lesson today.
I tried a "sho-ka"style .
Flower material is rabbitear Iris (Iris Iaevigata).

Shirane-aoi(glaucidium palmatum; Japanese wood poppy)

I went to see Shirane-aoi (glaucidium palmatum; Japanese wood poppy) at Mt.Hakken which is located near Lake Nozori in Gunma prefecture. Shirane-aoi is native to Japan. Recently this plant has been in sharp decline in Gunma prefecture. However,a lot of local people started to protect this plant. They had a number of initiatives designed to preserve the species, including seed collection, seedling cultivation, planting, installation of protective fences, mountain cleaning. There are about 80,000 clumps of Shirane-aoi now.

Ikebana lesson

I took a Ikebana lesson today.
I tried a free style arrangement.
Flower materials are
Leucadendron,Campanula,Allium,Silene-Sakurakomachi,Gold sticks,Baptisia australis.

Next picture is my senior colleague's work. This style is called "Rikka"which needs high level skills.

I want to try like this soon !

New nail

These are colors of summer vegetables.Cucumber and eggplant are some of the typical summer vegetables in Japan.

Flower arrangement lesson

I have joined to a flower arrangement circle. This picture is my work.

Materials are
Left:Rose,African daisy,Common gypsophila,Dracaena.
Right:African daisy,Cornflower,Horsetail.

Lacking rain !

It was fine weather at my town.But It was lacking rain these days.Owing of dry weather,there is shortage of water in my town.It cause many troubles in the rice-planting season.

93 year-old singer

I took a charge of operating a sound board at Japanese Fork song concert today.A  93 year-old woman was singing fork song. She was called Nami from her group members.Her song was strong and wonderful. I heard that she will advance to national music competition. Probably she is oldest entrant in this competition.How wonderful!

Ikebana lesson

I had a Ikebana lesson today.
I am learning Ikenobo-Ikebana.
Today's style was Shoka.
Flower materials were Japanese crethra,Slender deutzia,Amsonia elliptica.