Looking at the pictures of the mountains that clibmed around on young days while getting warmed at the kotatsu makes me feel complicated. The urge to climb right now and the frustration of not being able to climb anymore intersect.

September 22 is the winter solstice.  In Japan, it is customary to eat pumpkin on this day. Just as we have the habit of eating eels on the summer solstice, we eat nutritious food and get over the harsh season.

Many cyclamens are displayed in the florist at this time. The cyclamen are colorful, red, white and pink, with a variety of small flowers, large flowers, and double flowering. The bright red cyclamen appear to have a rising flame.

Primula is a winter flower that blooms from November to April of the following year. They bloom tiny colorful flowers one after another, conveying warmth to us under the cold sky.

Haiku has the principle of using seasonal words. However, the situation has changed recently, and strawberries and ice cream and so on can be seen and eaten year-round. The feeling of the season has disappeared in recent years in many things.

Tondo in the Kansai dialect means bonfire.  In the past, it was a sight often seen in town. When everyone went on the way to school, they gathered around the Tondo and warmed up. The grilled sweet potatoes that can be made there is the best.

Gyoryubai originates in Australia and is also called Manuka in Maori. The honey taken from it is called Manuka Honey and is known as a health food. The leaves can be used as herb tea ingredients and are also called tea trees.

Poinsettia blooms in red at the entrance of the church.  It is bending the neck as if listening to a Mass flowing from the inside.

Bonenkai (year-end party) is an annual event held at the end of the year by an organization or group. They dine with their fellow and look back at this past year and express thanks to each other for their having each endured the hardships.

There is “Aloe no Sato” in Shirahama, Izu Shimoda.  Now an “Aloe Festival” is being held and many people are visiting.  Originally, fishermen took home aloes from the south island and planted it here.