On the way home after getting drunk with the autumn leaves, when I went down the approach to the temple, Santa Claus came in from the temple gate. If I look closely, she is a woman in a bright red coat with a white collar. It is the outfit that stands out among the autumn leaves around. It is a very interesting combination of autumn leaves and Santa Claus. This photo was taken with a nice shot. This is my favorite photo.
There is news that Kobe Luminarie will be canceled from the morning this year as well. Kobe Luminarie was held for the first time in December of the same year with the intention of lighting the “Reconstruction Light” in Kobe City, which was severely damaged by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake that occurred in January 17, 1995. It’s the beginning. Since then, Kobe Luminarie has become popular year by year, and it has become a major feature at the end of the year, attracting people from all over the country. About 3.47 million people visited the 20th Kobe Luminarie in 2019. However, it was canceled last year due to the influence of the new coronavirus, and it was canceled again this year. As an alternative event, nine successive light decorations installed in the Luminarie since the first time in 1995 will be exhibited in seven places to convey the significance of the Luminarie praying for the victims of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.
If you walk a little along the village road, you will find a tall tree and the fruits hung down like bells. It is a tree of Sendan(Chinaberry). As with many vegetation, the fruit of Sendan is poisonous when eaten by humans and livestock, and in severe cases it contains deadly poison. However, this poison can also be a medicine depending on the formulation. The fruit of Sendan is an important drug in Chinese medicine, and it has been heavily used as an external medicine for cracks, and chilblains, as an intestinal regulator, and as an internal medicine by decoction as an analgesic. In addition, it was also used as an anthelmintic (insect repellent) and an insecticide for farmers, and recently, the extract component of Sendan has been attracting attention as it is effective against influenza virus. Sendan is a typical plant of “there’s only a slight deference between poison and medicine”. By the way, the bulbul is a favorite of the fruit of Sendan, and it seems to be okay no matter how much you eat.
My friend sent me this picture. At first, I thought it was a rose flower, but the leaves in the background were not rose leaves, so I wondered if she picked up the rose flower and put it on it. When I contacted her, she said that she made it from ginkgo leaves. I didn’t know until I contacted her, but it was such a wonderful winter rose.
Alstroemeria is often used for bouquets and flower arrangements. It is a colorful and exotic flower with abundant flower colors, from colorful to pastel and chic. The scientific name “Alstroemeria” is said to have been named after his best friend by the Swedish botanist Linne, who was collected during a trip to South America. In Japanese name, it is also called “Yurizuisen”, but it is also called “Peruvian lily” because of its flower appearance. It is native to Chile, Peru and Brazil in South America, and about 100 species grow naturally. Based on these original species, breeding was promoted in the Netherlands and England, and it was introduced to Japan in 1926. Compared to roses and tulips, alstroemeria may be a less familiar flower.
On November 26, the World Health Organization (WHO) named the new mutant strain of the new coronavirus confirmed in South Africa and other countries as the “Omicron strain”. Initially, WHO used the name of the country where the mutant strain was first confirmed, and called it “British strain” or “Indian strain”. However, from the end of May this year, WHO switched to the policy of using Greek letters because it may lead to discrimination against the country to be named. There are 24 Greek letters from α (alpha) to ω (omega). Mutant strains started from the first “British strain” (α-alpha strain) to the twelfth “Colombian strain” (μ-mu strain). This mutant strain “South Africa strain” was the 13th and was supposed to be named “ν-new strain”, but it was supposed to be named the next ξ (kusai) strain because it is confusing with the English word “new”. However, this ξ is pronounced “xi”, which is the same pronunciation as “Xi” by President Xi Jinping of China. With that in mind, WHO named it “ο-omicron strain” using the 15th Greek letter ο (omicron).
On the last day of November, I receive news of the first snow and the first frost from all over the country. Even in Osaka, when you enter the mountains, the fields are frosty. The sasanqua flowers that have begun to bloom also have a white frost border, and look like a lady wearing frills. Sasanqua is so familiar that it is sung as “Sasanqua, Sasanqua, Blooming Road” even in nursery rhymes. Originally from Japan, it was introduced to Europe from Dejima in Nagasaki during the Edo period, and its Japanese name became the scientific name (Camellia sasanqua). It will continue to bloom all winter, and it will be soothing to you from time to time.
Today 29th (Monday) was the coldest of the season. It was the coldest in the season at more than half of the observation points nationwide, and it seems that the first frost and the first snow of the year were observed in various places such as Kyoto and Sendai. The first frost in Sendai was two weeks later than normal, while Okayama was observed more than two weeks earlier, and it seems that the season has advanced at once. Even so, the daytime is still warm and cheerful, and the winter cherry blossoms along the river are in bloom. There are only two days left in November, and the climate has been chaotic in recent years, but the annual event is definitely moving towards the year-end and New Year holidays.
I sang about Kominka(an old folk house), but I’m not sure if it’s Kominka. There is no clear definition of Kominka, but in general, a building built before the war and built in traditional Japanese architecture that does not use nails is called Kominka. Focusing on its retro atmosphere and durability, the regeneration of Kominka has become a kind of boom. No one lives in this Kominka where Pyracantha blooms in the garden. The splendid garden, where the flowers of the four seasons would have bloomed in the past, is overgrown with dead grass, and only the momentum of the pyracantha stands out.
Speaking of Nanten(Nandina), I remember the round red can “Nandina throat lozenge”. In addition, Nanten, which bears beautiful bright red fruits from late autumn to early winter, can be found everywhere and is an indispensable flower material for the New Year as a happy lucky charm. The origin of Nanten is Japan and China, but it has been prized as a lucky tree because the sound of the name leads to “rolling through difficulties”, and it seemed that it had come to be planted in the house. The flowering time of Nanten is from June to July, and white flowers come in bloom. However, in general, Nanten is enjoyed by the red fruits and the change in the color of the leaves during the autumn leaves rather than enjoying the flowers that have bloomed, so the best time to see them is around October when the autumn leaves are beautiful and around November to February when they bear fruit. It is almost always planted in the precincts of shrines and temples.