APR 30, Japan Visit: Tokyo, the Emperors' P(a)lace

THE IMPERIAL PALACE

en route to the Imperial Palace:
piney parks for picnicking

entrance gate
(we had not received a personal invitation)

samurai checkpoint

stone blocks used in construction
weighed up to 35 tonnes.

lots of ponds, as well as moats

  

"Tractor-seat plant" , apparently an
imperial fave

 a few weedy spots

colorful azaleas coming into full bloom

very large koi

golden koi

CLASSIC JAPANESE HAIKU, in translation

 

I write, erase, rewrite,

erase again, and then

a poppy blooms.

Kobayashi Issa

TODAY'S POEM  (senryu *) 

syllabary of hiragana and katakana

 

to write smatterings,

I learn kanji characters

and two alphabets.

Giorgio Coniglio

* learn more HERE about senryu, a term that designates a lesser-known Japanese short poem that shares the physical characteristics of haiku (nominally 17 'on' / syllables in three non-rhyming lines), but deals in a satiric or humorous way with human foibles rather than with Nature. 

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APR 29, Japan Visit: the Tea Museum

Apparently, half the green tea in Japan is grown and processed in the prefecture of Shizuoka, between Yokahama and Nagoya. Tea is important in local culture and tradition, and is even the beverage offered for school lunches in local schools!

We got off the bullet train from Nagoya to visit the Shizuoka Tea Museum; we were a bit too early as it turned out for an anticipated tea festival, but enjoyed the visit immensely (although the possible views of Mount Fuji were obscured by dense clouds).

"They took all the tea, and put it in a tea- museum ..."

fields of camellia tea-plants grow near the museum

history of tea-picking (museum placard)

lush fields of manicured Camellia sinensis, Mt Fuji on a clear day (museum placard)

display of machines now used for processing the harvest

displayed artifacts from other tea-growing lands

craft brew tea sold in the gift-shop

the superb garden, viewed from the tea-room

M

walking back down to the Shizuoka train station

marvellous views, but can't see much of Mt Fuji today!

CLASSIC JAPANESE HAIKU, in translation

sensing autumn's approach,

four hearts come together

in a small tea-room.

Matsuo Bashō

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APR 27, Japan Visit: Nagoya's Toyota Museum

 

TODAY'S POEM (senryu *) 

I compose haiku,

and relieve the boredom

of endless limericks.

Giorgio Coniglio

* learn more HERE about "senryu", a term that designates a lesser-known Japanese short poem that shares the physical characteristics of haiku (nominally 17 'on' / syllables in three non-rhyming lines), but deals in a satiric or humorous way with human foibles rather than with Nature. 

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OR, go back to the latest post on this blogsite ("Elegy to Tom Lehrer") HERE.

APR 25, submitted palindromes, RANDOM PILES 40

 

You have reached the "Submitted Palindromes" thread on the blog "Daily Edifying Nonsense", a light literary entity that emanates through the blogosphere daily (almost), i.e. 30 times per month.

  On the 25th of each month you will find a slide-filling group of palindromic phrases submitted to the editors by a panel of 7 palindromists. These folks have all been working on this project since January 2020. The personal profiles for each of these contributors are displayed in panels published here at the start of things, and then, we have asked them to provide (palindromically, of course) their views on one of the iconic items in the classic literature, starting with "A man, a plan, a canal -- Panama", continuing with other well-known phrases, such as "Dennis sinned". Otherwise, their contribution will be grouped in monthly random piles (a phrase that you might recognize as an anagram of the word p-a-l-i-n-d-r-o-m-e-s).

APR 23, Japan Visit: on to Nagoya: back in the big city environment

The Hida Express train is not a bullet train, but cruised at impressive high speeds travelling through the mountains surrounding Takayama to Nagoya in 2 hours and 20 minutes. The train is known for its oversized windows, allowing ample photographic opportunities.

Japanese technology:
a bagel-vending machine

at the Osu Kannon arcade

 CLASSIC JAPANESE HAIKU, in translation

cherry blossoms

fall! fall!

enough to fill my belly!

Kobayashi Issa

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APR 21, Japan visit: Shirakawa-go, remote alpine village

 Shirakawa-go, a village in the Japanese Alps offers a view of life in a remote village. Historic post-and-beam wooden houses with thick thatch roofs inhabited by locals with a deep preservation ethic make this a World Heritage site.

Tourist buses navigate the awe-inspiring roads from either Kanazawa (our second city in Japan, earlier on the tour), or from Takayama. Trips from the latter destination traverse the Hida tunnel; at 11 km (7 miles), it's the nation's second longest.

they drive on the left, remember?

 

upstream: even in late April, lots of snow on the peaks

view downstream from the bus-station

TODAY'S POEM (senryu  *) 

Shirakawago, late April view

sakura awaits --

at higher elevations

blossoms are delayed.

 

Giorgio Coniglio

* learn more HERE about senryu, a lesser-known Japanese short poetic form that shares certain physical characteristics of haiku (nominally 17 'on' / syllables in three non-rhyming lines), but deals in a satiric or humorous way with human foibles rather than with Nature.  

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OR, go back to the latest post on this blogsite ("Elegy to Tom Lehrer") HERE.

APR 19, Japan Visit: Takayama's Festival floats

Placards and displays at the Takayama train station:

  tttthese scale-model reconstructions show the elegant artisanal layers used to fabricate the originals

Reproduction floats (yatai), seen at the Museum:

 

TODAY'S POEM (senryu *) 

tranquilly, I wake

to Lowcountry reflections

rendered in fabric.

Giorgio Coniglio

 * learn more HERE about senryu, a term that designates a lesser-known Japanese short poem that shares the physical characteristics of haiku (nominally 17 'on' / syllables in three non-rhyming lines), but deals in a satiric or humorous way with human foibles rather than with Nature. 

 _________________________________________________________________________

READY TO SEE MORE ?

To navigate around the 2,000 posts on this blog ("Daily Illustrated Nonsense", or D.I.N.), scroll downwards until you get to a widget with a clickable SUMMARY OF CONTENTS BY DATE displayed with blue fonts -- the most recent are at the top; the oldest at the bottom of the list. Then, just click on any year or month to view the detailed contents.

OR, go back to the latest post on this blogsite ("Elegy to Tom Lehrer") HERE.