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Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Princess Saho dyes Nara City pink

There are many rivers and canals lined up with numerous "sakura" (cherry tree) in Japan.
  The Saho River is one of them meandering gently through Nara City.


Princess Saho is believed to live in the Saho Mountain which is located to the east of Heijyo-kyo, the ancient capital of Japan in Nara.  According to the Chinese theory of five elements (五行説), spring is in the east. Princess Saho is a goddess of spring, a young woman clad in a soft pale pink spring haze.  She is good at dyeing and dyes hills and fields in spring colors.

Incidentally, autumn is in the west, and the goddess of autumn is called Princess Tatsuta because there is Tatsutain Mountain to the west of Heijokyo .  Princess Tatsuta is good at needlework and she changes hills and fields to the autumn-tinted brocades.


New buds of sakura get into sleep right after they are born in summer, get awake by the cold in winter, and start to swell to open when Princess Saho fly on the wind from the east.  The severity of winter doesn't affect the blooming time of sakura but the time when warm east wind starts to blow does. 




Princess Saho is personification of changing landscape from withered mountains and fields to richly variegated by rain and dyed in verdure and spring flowers.  Many people are forgetting her name while living in the city. 


The roads along the Saho make it a breathtaking place for a springtime stroll.  Yesterday I walked along the river from Nara Prefecture Library and Information Center (奈良県立図書情報館) to the upstream JR Line.


Before starting to walk, I was tempted by sweets and coffee for 500 yen.

柚子Yuzu (small citrus fruit) chiffon cake & ice cream
The sakura-lined paths on both sides of the river stretch about five kilometers.
I walked north, feeling warm sunlight on my back.


Reflection always fascinates me.






You can feel more wind by "Mamachari" riding. 


Mt. Wakakusa is seen from the Omiya Bridge.


Saho Elementary School will welcome new pupils in a week.

People were having a rest in the dappled shadow on the riverbed.


Toward the upstream, there are seen various different varieties of sakura from Somei-yoshino.

Somei-yoshino variety is noted for the pale pink petals.



I took this picture while waiting for the gate of the railroad crossing to open.



JR line


Princess Saho in the puddle of the asphalted path?



Strolling around in pink landscape would surely make you feel in the pink.

 
I wish peace on earth and in your mind.


- From the Land of Sakura -

51 comments:

  1. Kauniit kuvat :)

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  2. Hello,
    How absolutely wonderful to be beneath these heavy branches of Cherry Blossom. Truly, they make such a remarkable sight. In Budapest this coming weekend the Cherry Blossom will be celebrated in a festival and, totally appropriately, it will be opened by the Japanese ambassador.

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  3. I love Cherry Blossom and really enjoyed your post and the beautiful photographs. I lived for a few years in San Francisco near Japan Town where the streets were lined with these trees and the festival they held was a glimpse of what it must be like for you. I miss the trees very much.

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  4. Una entrada preciosa!
    Son unas fotografías maravillosas.
    Un abrazo.

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    Replies
    1. You photographs took my breath away. I can only imagine what it was like to walk amid such beauty. I enjoyed reading the folk tales about spring and autumn.

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  5. 佐保川沿いの桜、こんなに満開なんですね!この温かさで開花が一度にすすんだようですね。柔らかな、軽やかな女神の歌声が聞こえてくるようです。見る者の心が優しく満たされていくような、ほんとに素敵な写真だと思います。辻井伸行さんのピアノが似合いますね。アスファルトまでが宝石のように見えます。

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  6. What a beautiful time of year. Gorgeous photos of the blossoms!

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  7. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's exactly what I was waiting for - sakura - Japanese cherry blossom season in Japan!!!
    Great to see your beautiful cherry trees after your long winter. And fortunately they are not suffering due to cold and frosty nights like we had last week here in Germany. Your photos really show a sea, no, even an ocean of white and pink blossoms and all of your photographs are really gorgeously, Yoko! Congrats! ;-)

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  8. Vilken vacker stund jag fick av dina helt underbara bilder. Tänk att få gå där, jag skulle njuta så.
    Ni har så många vackra vyer hos er.
    Här är våren inte lika långt kommen, vi ha många vårblommor nu på marken men inget på träden än. Kalla nätter gör att det tar lite tid. det gör inget för då blir våren låååång och det är härligt då hinner jag njuta av allt.
    Ha en fin mitt i veckan kväll
    Kram Meta

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  9. Thank you for your wishes Yoko and thank you for the fairy tale and thank you for taking such masterpieces of photos of these magnificent views! You surely and absolutely have the eye of an artist, I do bow to you! Shalom to you too! :-)

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  10. I always look forward to the Sakura blooms, Yoko. The blooms and trees reflected in water are magical. Your walk and the photos you took are enchanting. (I love the captured bicycles behind the blooming trees!) I wish I could sit with you for a treat and accompany you on the walk - but, for now, your words and photos will have to bring the Sakura to me.

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  11. Dear Yoko - The sakura-lined paths must fill your heart with gladness as you stroll beneath them. April is surely the most magical time to visit Japan to be able to see all of these delicate blossoms so beautifully captured by you.

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  12. Princess Saho certainly has worked her miracle as have you with your camera. It is sad that city people so often forget our original contact with nature. How can you not go out and expand your soul in all that transient glory?
    Thank you so much for another of your wonderful posts.

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  13. WonderfuI post!!! Thanks for sharing such beauty! I also love reflection, your photos are stunning!
    Happy Spring!
    Greetings from Portugal,

    Ana Love Craft
    www.lovecraft2012.blogspot.com

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  14. Beautiful beautiful beautiful! So beautiful that I can't think of anything else to say! :)

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  15. こんにちは。とても綺麗でロマンチックです。佐保姫や竜田姫の事を初めて知りました。ブログのタイトルも素晴らしいです。我が家は、ソメイヨシノの故郷のすぐ近くです。 山手線駒込駅のすぐそばに、染井吉野桜記念公園があります。かつての染井村は染井霊園にその名を残しています。

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  16. Wow wow wow - what spectacular shots. You live in a fairy tale country.

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  17. A walk must feel more like floating through clouds upon clouds of pink! Such a scene would make anyone feel serene. The people having a picnic by the river near the tree in full bloom are very fortunate, indeed.

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  18. Gorgeous and enchanting pictures ! I wish I was there...
    Have a nice day !
    Anna

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  19. Hi,Yoko
    こんばんわ!春いち早く訪れた桜に季節に戸惑っています。こんな早く咲いてはお花見にいくタイミングでを逸してしまいそう。佐保川の桜はこんなに見事に咲いているのですね!!図書館でケーキとコーヒーをしっかり頂いたあとゆっくり散策された様子が約分かります。
    緑の土手の上を自転車で走る姿が桜の向こうに見えてる写真が、のがのどかな春の一瞬をとらえていると思います。

    Yokoさんのポストを見せて頂き、これで十分桜見にいかなくてすみそうですよ。
    では又!

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  20. Wow, awesome pictures !
    Japan is beautiful :) You simply rock :) Delighted to view all these !
    Have a beautiful weekend !

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  21. Hi Dear Yoko,
    One of my dreams is to see the cherry blomsom live in Japan!
    I will surely make this dream come true some day.
    In the meantime, I look at your pictures and feel the glorious beauty of Nature.
    Amazing shots!
    Cheers
    Márcia

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  22. Princess Saho has done a wonderful job of dyeing the city pink and you've made an equally fine job of showing it to us.

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  23. I'm just blown away by the beauty of this place. And the cherry trees are my favorites. The river flowing along adds a wonderful dimension to the bursting forth of spring. Just looking at your photos has a calming effect. Once again I would add that you're a superb photographer!

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  24. 素敵な場所ですね。こちらは雨が多くて桜が散り始めてますが近所の公園に子どもを連れて見に行く予定です。。

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  25. 佐保川の桜、見事ですね。両岸を桜並木がうめて、かなり長い距離、楽しませてくれるのですね。ずっと前に行った時は、川が、こんなに整備されていなかったと思います。ボランティアの人々に感謝です。土手の緑があざやかで、ゆく春を感じます。
    Have a nice weekend!

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  26. ✿°
    º•°✿✿
    Lindo, lindo, super lindo!
    Parabéns pelas fotografias.


    ¸.•°❤❤°•.¸
    Bom fim de semana!
    Beijinhos do Brasil.
    ·.¸.•♪♪

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  27. You certainly walk in beauty when you stroll along these amazing Japanese cherry blossom trees. Your photos are exquisite!

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  28. Remember me..ciku..hihi..i'm travelling at hakuba,tokyo, osaka,hakata and huis ten bosh and see the sakura at ohori park and sakuranomiya park but just a few upload to my blog..i'v already back to malaysia.nice trip in japan.

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  29. Hi yoko san.... Nice shots.... Your picture was too kawaei.. And sugoi

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    Replies
    1. Its was your language actually...
      Kawaeii means cute
      Sugoi means good...
      Am i right...?

      Delete
    2. Thank you, Kayrul, for this revisit. Yes, you’re right, I understand what you wrote, and I was happy. What I meant on my comment to your post is that I don’t understand the language in your blog. But now I don’t have access to your blog as it is not open now.

      Delete
  30. 見慣れた佐保川の景色が見事に絵になっていますね。桜はこころを浮き立たせてくれます。花見に出かけましたが桜の美しさを写真で表現するのって難しいですよね。Yokoさんの視点、技術すごいです。

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  31. beautiful spring feeling and pictures! greetings from tulipland...

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  32. 有り難うございます arigatō gozaimasu for your kind comments, Yoko!
    My second "animated" photo is no magic at all, it's just a "gif file' instead of jpg file. And there's the option to generate an "animated gif" if you have several layers in your photo editing software (like Photoshop or others). It's just a matter of how you save your file then; you have to do it as "animated gif". Here's an instruction to the magic behind this technology...
    http://dashes.com/anil/2011/07/animated-gifs-triumphant.html
    or
    http://www.stykz.net/support/help/lessons/About_the_Animated_GIF_Format.php

    Or: read the instruction of the editing software you use if it's possible to generate an animated gif with it.

    Hint: Use a stable tripod to take always the same frame/section of your photo motiv. If you then change or move any object in your setting and you take a photo of each change, then you can perfectly overlay your different photos as layers to generate an animated gif. In my "cheap" animation (with two layers) it was two times the same photo with and without postproduction / with and without distributor box.

    Have a great week, Yoko!
    By the way: The German "Cherry Blossom Show" continues... ;-)

    Uwe.

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  33. Wow....... Yoko your photos are fantastic! They give a feeling of actually being there.
    It's wonderful you have a special goddess to assist the beautiful trees!
    Love the pigeons........Thanks for sharing the beauty.

    Have a lovely week,
    Ruby

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  34. I should have been born in Japan! So deeply penetrates the beauty of your nature into my heart. And so do stories of all Princesses. Thank you, Yoko. I wish you harmony in soul. Take care!
    Irina

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  35. 佐保川、きれいですね~~~! 私、そういえば、行ったことがありません。一度この目で桜のころ、風景を楽しみたいです。赤い車のある写真、おしゃれです。最近、久しぶりに奈良県に行きました。吉野をちょこっと。奈良はいいですね~~~!おだやかな風景の中に桜が咲いていて。Yokoさんは幸せですね。

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  36. So soothing and beautiful.
    Thank you.

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  37. Todella upeita kukkivia puita. Hienoja kuvia.

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  38. Hello, stardust-san.
    Tunnel of cherry blossoms is very elegant. It is a paradise of cherry blossom at all.
    Color of pale petals will soften the hearts of us.
    Even in winter there about cold, cherry trees bloom flowers as usual.
    It is a mysterious providence of nature.

    Mother Nature will flow indifferently through time. The innocent is my best master.
    I wish You all the best.

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  39. These photos are so very beautiful. A heavenly landscape, straight out of a fairy tale peopled with princesses and mystical creatures. I enjoyed your walk and your words.

    I have one Japanese ornamental cherry tree in the garden which is flowering pink at the moment. I don’t know it’s name but I will have to go out and tell it the story about the princess of spring. (I must find a reason to put its picture on my blog.)

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  40. oh my goodness, such beautiful photographs of these flowers and lands!
    thank you for sharing your precious experience!

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  41. Αγαπημένη μου φίλη
    Είναι τόσο όμορφη η πατρίδα σου!!!
    Δεν χορταίνω να βλέπω τις εξαιρετικές φωτογραφίες σου!
    Ευχαριστώ πολύ που μοιράστηκες μαζί μας αυτήν την ομορφιά!
    Πολλά φιλιά

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  42. Spring is here!!!
    Spring is here!!!
    Blooming of cherry blossoms is our expectation.
    (PS: 2nd shot is my favorite.)

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  43. このころブログお休みしていました。見事な佐保川のサクラを撮っていましたね。私は14番目の子供が自転車に乗ってる佐保川のサクラが大好きです。ではViw Japanに戻りますね。

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  44. dear Yoko i m stunned with beauty of Shuno river and specially the way you are skilled to share it with us is splendid !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    the 11th image is worth exhibit worldwide
    what a exquisite capture
    blessings!

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