The sun is getting weaker, and the forest with many evergreen vertebrae and oaks is dim even in the daytime.  When the sasanqua flowers bloom in the meantime, the scenery changes completely.  I don’t know if the analogy is appropriate, but I just said, “Sansho is spicy even with small grains.”  It is reminiscent of a single-wheeled insert that decorates a dimly lit four-and-a-half-mat zen tea room. By the way, the peak season for sasanqua flowers will be December, and then camellia, but around January, both are mixed and it is difficult to tell them apart.  There are hybrids of sasanqua and camellia, such as cold-camellia and spring-sasanqua, so it’s reasonable to be indistinguishable.

日差しもますます弱くなって、常緑樹の椎や樫が多い森の中は昼間も薄暗い状態です。そんな中に山茶花が花を付けると、景色がすっかり変わります。例えが適切かどうか分かりませんが、「山椒は小粒でもぴりりと辛い」と言ったところです。薄暗い四畳半の茶室を飾る一輪挿しを思わせます。山茶花の最盛期はこれから十二月、その後は椿と言うことになりますが、一月ごろはどちらも混在していて、なかなか見分けが着きません。寒椿や春山茶花のように山茶花と椿の交雑種がありますから、見分けが着かないのももっともですね。