19:28

At Narcissus Village in Tonboike Park in Kishiwada City, Osaka Prefecture, 60,000 daffodils are in full bloom from early January to mid-February, and are enveloped in a unique sweet scent.  Many people visited during the Narcissus Festival held in mid-January, but after the cold weather began, it snowed and the cold became even more severe, so there were almost no people.  The red umbrellas and scarlet rugs hanging on the floor stand out.  It’s early, and it’s already a little bit more in January, and there’s Setsubun this weekend, and it’s going to be Risshun(the first day of spring).  Many of the plum blossoms in the park are in full bloom, and the scarlet cherry blossoms are in full bloom.  At the convenience store on the way home, a big advertising flag of Eho-maki(the thick sushi rolls which is believed to bring good fortune if eaten while facing the year’s “Eho”;good luck direction) was fluttering in the cold wind.

大阪府岸和田市にある蜻蛉池公園の水仙郷では、見頃となる１月上旬から２月中旬にかけて、６万株の水仙が咲き誇り、独特の甘い香りに包まれます。１月中旬頃に開催される水仙祭りの頃には多くの人が訪れていましたが、大寒に入ってからは雪が降ったり、寒さも一段と厳しくなったせいで、ほとんど人影も見当たりません。赤い番傘と床几に掛けられた緋毛氈がやたら目につきます。早いもので、もう一月もあと僅か、今週末には節分があり、立春に入ります。園内の梅も多くが花を咲かせ、緋桜は満開です。帰り道にあるコンビニには、恵方巻きの大きな幟が寒風にはためいていました。