男根象徴京都

While out looking for cherry blossoms over the weekend, just down the road from the Utano Youth Hostel, we stumbled into a nursery full of cherry trees that also had a collection of statuary.

According to a woman who worked in the nursery, the head gardener is the number one cherry tree man in Japan. The trees he has nurtured can be found in Maruyama Park, the Imperial Palace (Gosho), and many other well-known locations.

We were close to Hirosawa no Ike, a large lake near Arashiyama. The lake is full of herons and circled by cherry trees.

The lake was dug in the Heian period, and is famous as a spot for moon-viewing.

Back in the nursery many were enjoying the many varieties of cherry tree, and the statues.

The most striking was a large phallic symbol with a Buddhist image carved onto it. To its right is a representation of female pudenda.

It was surrounded by other more typical statutes.


© JapanVisitor.com

Yahoo Japan Auction Service

Book a Japanese Hotel with Bookings

Japanese Friends

Japan Job Search

Tokyo Vice

Tags

Japan Cherry Blossom Kyoto Phallic Symbol Japanese

一場の春夢



In spite of it being the end of March, spring is very slow coming this year in Japan, with the occasional fine tepid day followed by a fierce reversion to wintry rain and bluster. However, this Monday having been the Shunbun no Hi (i.e. Vernal Equinox) holiday, we are officially well into spring.

So how about we celebrate with a spring proverb?

一場の春夢 or in hiragana: いちじょうのしゅんむ, or in alphabet: ichijo no shunmu

一場 ichijo literally means “one place” and is a representation of life’s transience. Think of it as something like the “here” in “here and now,” or the “there” in “there and gone.”

の　no is a possessive particle that has exactly the same meaning as “’s” – so “one place’s”

春夢 shunmu　means “spring dream.”

So, to paraphrase: “A dream in spring, there [and gone],” or perhaps “A dream of spring, there [and gone].” Proverbs are tiny poems, so the exact meaning has some flexibility, but I’m sure you’ll agree it’s a very evocative little saying.

Spring is particularly associated with transience and fleetingness in Japan because its most gorgeous feature, arguably the highlight of the natural year in Japan, is sakura, or cherry blossom. And hardly has sakura blossomed, when it is suddenly all over – the epitome of transience, made all the more evocative by its beauty. And mention fleeting beauty and anyone past his or her prime feels a visceral tug, none more so than the Japanese: a nation of narcissists if ever there was one.

And of course, “dream” is perhaps the most fleeting form of consciousness we know. Like blossom, however luxuriant and vivid it may be when we’re sitting under it laughing and drinking, once it has gone it has quite gone – all too soon, and we are powerless to bring it or even clear memories of it back in the here and now, there and gone.

© JapanVisitor.com

Yahoo Japan Auction Service

Book a Japanese Hotel with Bookings

Japanese Friends

Japan Job Search

Tokyo Vice

Tags

Japan spring language proverb

花見

Springtime, perfect for having picnics, wearing shorts and admiring the Cherry Blossom in DC. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an two-week (per annum) event that celebrates springtime in Washington, DC as well as the 1912 gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan.



DC Attractions include multiple festivals, museums, monuments, and more. The National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) organization that coordinates, produces, and supports creative and diverse activities promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty and the environment, and community spirit and youth education. It's also begins peak season for an influx of tourists to Washington, also brought in by the thousands of historical landmarks, museums, and other buildings, The National Museum of Crime & Punishment, located in Washington, D.C. is one of those such buildings, with excellent depictions of historically famous crime scenes along detailed information concerning past wars, forensics, organized crime, and more.

National Museum of Crime & Punishment
575 7th St. NW
Washington, DC 20004
Tel: (202) 621-5561
www.crimemuseum.org

京都植物園の花見

A pleasant feature of living in Kyoto is the city-sponsored "light ups" that take place several times a year at various sites. These events mainly occur in the spring and fall.

As another way of luring tourists to and within the city, the Kyoto city government arranges for temples and shrines, traditional streets, and even the botanical gardens to be bathed in light for a set period every evening.

The Kyoto Botanical Gardens are located in the northern part of the city, just east of the Kamo River. The north entrance is a short walk from the Kitayama subway stop.

The garden was established in 1924, became the location of a US military base following World War II, and then was reopened in 1961. There are roughly 120,000 plants that are organized into several major areas: a bamboo grove, bonsai, camelia, cherry trees, a European style garden, plants native to Japan, a hydrangea garden, an iris garden, a lotus pond, etc.

There is also a large conservatory.

Some 500 cherry trees, or 70 species, are now being lit up every evening from sundown until 9 pm.

The entrance fee is 200 yen for adults.

Cherry Blossom Light Up

Every evening until April 12th.

Access

From the Kitayama subway stop on the Kurasama Line a short walk. There is also an entrance on the south side of the gardens, which is a ten-minute walk from Kitaoji subway station.
(075）411－5000

Yahoo Japan Auction Service

Book a Japanese Hotel with Bookings

Book the Ginza Kokusai Hotel Tokyo

Tokyo Serviced Apartments

Japanese Friends

Rough Guide To Japan

Tags

Kyoto Botanical Gardens Kyoto Japanese culture