Summer: A rest under a tree

Many times, I cannot understand how some people would risk tanning themselves till they look like a walking meat jerky. As for me, I can't wait to run/walk as fast as I could into a building or walk illegally on the opposite side of the road just because it has some shelter. I will even try desperately to hide my big body in the shadow of a slim traffic pole. 

In the recent years, my body is giving me more reasons to protect myself from the sun - I developed a heat-induced migraine whenever I am exposed in the sun for more than 15mins. Yes, it only takes 15mins and I will be having the worst time of my life. Additionally, I have a family with a history of skin cancer. Because of that, nowadays, I dress 'appropriately' (read: ridiculously) whenever I need to go out in the sun.

So, how I dress in summer? First, slathering generously on sunscreen. After that, put on a long sleeve top. And then, a long pants. Make sure that no skin gets too much exposure to the dangerous rays! Then, put on my wide-brimmed hat. So wide that my vision is slightly blocked away. Completed the look with a big, dark sunglasses (in addition to my heat-induced migraine, the strong sunlight also hurts my eyes, sigh... I am a health-mess). The end result is I think I looked more ridiculous than MJ in disguise. So, after putting on my summer 'armour', I am happy to go out as usual. 

So, again, summer is not my favourite season and I usually escape the heat in a park. Today, my escape is again my familiar park, the Showa Kinen Koen. Since the summer heat is still hanging on tight to this already oppressive climate, this is the perfect place to escape for me with plenty of shade and occasionally, a nice breeze to cool off. 

The not-keen-on-summer-heat me, took my well-used backpack, stuffed it with some snacks - a store-bought onigiri, CC lemon drink and a cup of ice and off I go. I didn't have to go far into the park for some cool shade as I found some crepe myrtle trees. They are shady and the flowers are beautiful.

I think it could be a strange place to sit down as a couple of onlookers looked at me with quizzing eyes. I hope they are looking at my strange dress-up and not because I broke a park rule by dumping my huge ass under the unusually quiet spot. But, I choose to ignore them and just relax on the soft green grass, plug in my earphones, choose my Latino playlist and lay down, staring on the beautiful blooms. I never felt so at peace for a long time. No more work demands. No more deadlines. Just me, my music and crepe myrtle.

Under these trees, I rest

Resting under the crepe myrtle is an amazing way to relax

One beautiful lonely tree

The crepe myrtle can be seen from mid-Aug and they usually last for one month. I grew to love these flowers after seeing them on my trip to Kamakura last summer. Although the Showa Kinen Koen doesn't advertise their presence, but you can easily find them on the lawn after the gingko lane. They are located in front the big fountain. 

This is front view of me

You can find the direction for the Showa Kinen Koen in my previous posts on their seasonal flowers such as the tulips in spring, sunflowers in summer and autumn leaves and cosmos in autumn.

Have a great summer and I hope you found your beautiful resting spot in Tokyo too!

Let's wake up early and meet the morning flower

I know most of my readers knows me by now that I am in love with flowers. I remembered when I was young, I couldn't resist not picking flower whenever I see one. I would one flower to put behind one of my ears and another one for the other ear. When the flowers wilted, I will pick another one. Yes, that action, sometimes got me into trouble. Well, that was all good memories for me ^^ Not so much to those I caused the distress to...  m(_ _)m

So, talking about flowers, I am off to another special exhibition of morning glory plants in the Hibiya Park organized by the Tokyo Morning Glory Research Association. The association has 40 years history in researching, propagating and creating new morning glory hybrids and at the same time, preserving the mutated seed of morning glories. This is their 64th exhibition - yea!

When you reach Hibiya Park, you will see this poster (I forgot about taking a photo of this year's poster so I used my last year's photo).

Similar exhibition can also be seen at the Yasukuni Jinja but this one is better! I will tell you why, but first, a bit on the history of the cultivation of morning glory plants in Japan (I found new information and wanted to share it although it may be boring stuff to you - sumimasen).

The cultivation started in the late Edo period when these cultivators experimented on the natural mutation of the morning glory seed and found new ways to create new types of leaves and flowers in the morning glory plants. And after that, the morning glory plant experienced a boost in its popularity well into the Meiji-Taisho period until after that, the morning glory plant of natural mutation gave way to the cultivated hybrids of large-blossomed morning glory plant. Due to the loss of interest, much knowledge of these plants been lost. 

However, due to the efforts of a small group of enthusiastic cultivators, some of the earlier naturally mutated plants managed to survive. From them, we now know how the cultivators back in those days grew the naturally mutated hybrids of the morning glory plant. Now, these techniques and the cultivation using a selected mutation of morning glory are maintained with an adaptation of a more advanced method of cultivation and the knowledge of our present-day genetics. 

Thanks to the efforts of these small growers, today, we can see these naturally mutated hybrids and the large-blossomed morning glories here in this annual exhibition at the Hibiya Park. This is why this exhibition is better than the one in Yasukuni Shrine. 

Poor morning glory out in the sun

Among the differences you will notice between the two kinds of Japanese morning glories, is the size and colour in the blooms. The latter cultivation of the Japanese morning glory plants has resulted in bigger blooms with a variety of colours. The blooms of a Japanese morning glory span between 15sm wide, but some can have larger blooms than others and some have frilly blooms. 

The blooms have also cool physic-referenced names such as "speckled" (blooms with dots on them), "rayed" (blooms with a line of white trim on the edges of a bloom) and "blizzard" (blooms with two swirling colours). The colour of the morning glories ranges from the muddy rose colour to the dark blue colour. 

Where else, the blooms of the naturally mutated hybrids are usually small, and some plants don't even look like anything close to a morning glory plant. Some plants are so unique that you swear you have never seen a morning glory before until these.

Yes, this is a morning glory

This one too

I think this one is called falling star

These all looked like ikebana to me

After the blooms, the next difference you may notice is their distinctive foliage. The cultivation of the leaves of the Japanese morning glory plants has resulted in various leaf forms. One of the more popular leaf forms in both kinds is called the "tonbo-ba" (トンボ葉) and it is supposedly resembled a dragonfly spreading its wings (Sorry, I didn't get any photos for the "tonbo-ba"). A dragonfly is called "tonbo" in Japanese. 

There are also other leaf forms in the naturally mutated kind too, such as the Maple leaf, the willow leaf (Yanagi-ba), the Bamboo leaf and these are just some leaf forms that I learned from the cultivators. The leaves also come in coloured variegated types too, usually a green variegated leaf (Ao-Fuiri-ba) or a yellow variegated leaf (Ki-Fuiri-ba).

The green variegated leaves kind

The yellow variegated leaves morning glory

Well, you can see both kinds of the morning glories at this exhibition. It will be on display in the area near the tennis court.

This exhibition is not only to display new hybrid of morning glories, it is also a competition for its association members to show off their prize-winning plant. You can meet with the morning glory creator, talk to them, learn about the morning glory plant and even buy the plant from them.

The exhibition starts from 8am till 11am from now until 3rd Aug 2014.

Access: Hibiya Station accessible by the Metro Chiyoda line, Metro Hibiya line or Toei Mita lines. The nearest exits are Exit A10 or Exit A14.

I think this exhibition is a good opportunity for me to wake up early. How about you?

A little about myself lately...

I apologized for the lack of posts lately. My job is definitely more demanding of me now than before. I definitely wish that I can blog in my dreams so that the blog post will magically appear in this blog every time I dream.

So, about myself lately... I have started to work on two research projects and these projects are in their initial stages so they take up a good amount of my time. I also have been travelling a lot due to work. This coming July, I am going to Washington DC for a conference. It is always fun to be able to present my work, meet people and exchange ideas at the conference. I really enjoy attending conferences. 

Not only that my work and play has been taking a good chunk of my time, I also maintain another one purely research blog which I have been putting in a lot of time and effort to keep it update. However, the neglect of this blog makes me feel guilty. And I have to admit; whenever I have time nowadays, I love to spend it with a good book in the park. I cannot even mention how many blog posts have been backlogged in my hard drive now. Therefore, I feel that I should tell my readers that I will blog even lesser than before, but as much as I can, whenever I can.

There is so much for me to look forward to this year and I hope everyone who is reading my blog is doing/having the same thing too!

Yellow carpet in the city

I was browsing through my old photos before I stumbled upon this set of photos which I have taken 3years ago, but never had the time to write about it. Looking at these photos made me feel lucky that I stay in Japan and that I am able to experience all of these beautiful scenery in Japan. I realised that this post might be a bit early, but consider it as a teaser on what to expect in the spring if you are in Tokyo. 

Located at the mouth of the Sumida River, Hamarikyu Garden was once a feudal lord's residence during the Edo Period (1603-1867). During the same time, the garden was also used as a duck hunting ground. For a while, the garden served as a strolling garden and as an imperial detached palace. Today, it is a public park surrounded by skyscrapers with ducks swimming peacefully in the pond of the Hamarikyu Garden.

You can still witness the surviving structures from its multiple roles over the centuries, such as the old moat wall, the preserved duck blinds, the wooden bridge and a traditional Japanese tea house. The landscape of the garden evolves around the Shioiri Pond while the whole garden is surrounded by a seawater moat. 

Events are held regularly, such as the Japanese falconry during the New Year and the annual Tokyo Grand Tea Ceremony. However, you don't have to wait for the annual Tea Ceremony as you can also enjoy the tea ceremony for 500yen at the teahouse, Nakajima no-ochaya.

Another cool thing you can do in this garden is to rent for free their excellent English audio guide service from the ticket office. If you are a history buff, then, you should rent this audio guide. In this audio guide, you can self-guided to the walking courses around the garden. Each walking course lasts around 60-90minutes and you will learn about the history, the historical spots and the flora (not so much on the fauna except for the ducks). 

In March, a field of rapeseed flower or in Japanese, it's called the nanohana (菜の花) provides a carpet of yellow colour that contrasts beautifully with the skyscraper in the background. It is a view that you won't find anywhere else in the city.

To me, Hamarikyu Garden is a beautiful garden to go to in any season, but the seasonal flower makes the garden even more spectacular. The best time to view the rapeseed flowers is between the second and third week of March. 

This is the best place in Tokyo to view this magnificent rapeseed flower. The other great place to bask yourself in a field of yellow rapeseed flower would be the Showa Kinen Park.

How to get there

The Hamarikyu Garden is a 10-15 minute walk from JR Shimbashi Station. Or alternatively, you can get to the park from Shiodome Station serviced by the Oedo Subway Line and the Yurikamome Line for a 5-10 minute walk.

If you want to get to the garden in a unique way, you can take a boat ride from Asakusa to Hamarikyu Garden on the Tokyo Water Bus (水上バス, Suijō Basu). This is one of the gardens in Tokyo you can access by the waterway. The journey by the water bus is only 35 minutes and 740 yen per way. The admission to the garden has to be paid separately. Please note that to return to Asakusa from Hamarikyu Garden, you will have to make a small detour and the journey is 10mins extra.

The waterbus

Opening Hours and Admission Fees

Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (entry until 16:30)

Closed: December 29 to January 1

Admission: 300 yen

Location and Website

1-1, Hama Rikyu-teien, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0046

http://teien.tokyo-park.or.jp/en/hama-rikyu/ (in English)

So, instead of pink, how about starting the spring with yellow? 

Goodbye 2014, You've been a good year to me again and Welcome 2015!

Here, I am, working in the tropical city of Singapore for one and a half month now. And Singapore is a fabulous city/country! It is vibrant, fun and their food are delicious (no, the food is totally amazing!). But, it is also so hot and humid! Although, it is a warm and welcomed change for me when I first arrived, however, after a month and a half, I begin to miss Japan, especially that now is the season for hot spring and snow. Moreover, the Singapore heat is wearing me down and I can't wait to go back to Japan soon after this project is done!

As usual, on every year's eve, I tried to write something for this blog. So, this year, I am going to celebrate the 9th year anniversary in Japan. Wow, in a blink of an eye - 9 years. And I will be celebrating my 10th year in Japan. Should I have a party for myself on my 10th year in Japan? Maybe I should ^^.

One thing that I have learned since starting this blog is that single author blogging is hard. Finding the time to write posts in between work, research and play is difficult. Usually, my work is more manageable over the summer period, but when comes to the fall semester (my favourite season), everything and everybody seem to want to squeeze and cram into that 3 short months before the coming of a new year. That always leaves me very little time for my own research, and for sure, blogging is sometimes out of the question. And every time, when I am in this time deprivation situation, I reminded myself of this timeless quote from the movie, Lord of the Rings, to pacify my frustrated feelings about time deprivation. 

‘All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.’ – Gandalf the Grey

With this in mind, I will try my best to blog, work and research.

So, this question of time management brings me to think about why I started this blog in the first place. I wanted a space where I share special places that I find interesting, journaling my experiences, and also in a way, keeping a record of my travel. Although I feel that I may have not done most of it, but, I am trying to blog whenever I can spare the time.

I feel that I should be blogging more post for my early years in Japan. Looking back at those years reminds me of many Japan-naivety moments for me. I had more time back then to visit many places in Japan, racking up too many funny and embarrassing experiences to record and I especially, wished that I haven't lost my 2005-2009 photos due a hard disk failure (T_T). But, I will do my best to write these moments down and, perhaps, revisit the places again, just to retake some photos for the blog. I think it will be fun for me to see the same place with a different eye now.

Actually, every year, I will make a list of new year resolution (which I will break within a week after the new year starts, huhuhu). So, this year, I am going to keep it simple as I can already see the direction for me in the coming year. Well, this is perhaps my longest new year's eve post ever. So, I wish all my readers, a happy 2015 year and may it be another good and kind year to you and your family.

Waterfalls of DuPont State Forest

Every time, I return to the US, it is like going to an all-you-can-eat buffet for every mealtime. Since I don't really eat lots of sweet stuff in Japan, I indulged in ice-cream, especially the flavours I can't get in Japan, cookies, cakes and soda. And it is really hard to say no, especially when I believe that I deserve a little treat. And the fact that the portion size of food in the US is waaay more than Japan's is really not helping. After many days of indulgence, I can feel that my dress size went UP. Not in a good way. So, I decided (reluctantly) to take back control of my diet. I am goin to slowly eat smaller portion, cut some sweet calories out and get back on track with my usual active lifestyle. 

So, I decided to go hiking in the DuPont State Forest near Asheville. It is an area blessed with lots of waterfalls with plenty of easy hiking trails. I also heard that this is the film location for the Hunger Games and The Last of the Mohicans so it should be a great place to go. 

After a 3.5hours drive and a lunch stop, I reach the DuPont State Forest slightly after 1:30pm. I parked my car, started my hike from the visitor centre and the parking area in Hooker Falls area. However, I decided to skip the Hooker Falls, and went straight to see the Triple Falls where they filmed the Hunger Games. It was a short walk, less than 2km. 

As soon as I saw the Triple Falls, I can immediately recall the scene where Katniss nearly step on Peeta in the Hunger Games. 

The Triple Falls has lots of flat rock area to walk on or to simply relax on. I can see that it is a really great place to have a picnic. 

I continue my hike for another 1km towards the High Falls. After a few turns and a short, steep hill, I found it. This waterfall has a magnificent drop of 50m. Later, I found that the water level is quite low at the moment and it could have been even more impressive drop. Nonetheless, it is still an amazing sight for me. As I stood around to take some photograph, another hiker with her dog came and stood beside me. We chatted for a bit and she told me that the scene of the Last of the Mohicans was filmed here. Wow, I didn't know that it was already a popular movie location. 

I went down, nearer to the waterfall and I saw lots of people gathering at the base of the waterfall. Some of them just sit under the falling waters. Further down where the water is calmer, people just go swimming in the river. As there were too many people, I just went to take some photographs and continue my walk to the Grassy Creek Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. 

So, my hike took me a trail that leads me to the start of the High Falls. There is a covered bridge that connects the two banks of river of High Falls. This covered bridge somehow reminded me of the creepy covered bridge in the movie, Sleepy Hollow. I bet if it is rainy and misty, this bridge sure fits the bill. I went across the covered bridge and continue for a short distance to the marker that indicates the entrance to the Grassy Creek Falls trail. From there, I found the small trail that snakes through the woods with several short side trails to the falls. I decided to take one of the short side trails and found myself on the top of the Grassy Creek Falls.

This waterfall is secluded, more isolated and definitely quieter. I sat down to enjoy my packed snack and listen to the sound of running water. It is so calm and peaceful. The birds are singing. It reminded me of the piped-in bird singing sound that you can sometimes hear on the train station. I always find it weird to hear them on the train platform while waiting for the train. It feels so unnatural. That sound always makes me look up and see if any bird has set up their home and started to make a mess in the train station. Not a calming thought if that is what they intend the train commuters to feel. I personally feel that if they want to have a piped-in music, why can they choose classical or something soothing other that natural sounds that don't sound natural in the train station. Okay, back to my hike. 

After a quick lunch stop, I continue my hike down to the base of Grassy Creek Falls. However, going to the base was more challenging than I thought. There are lots of rocks that are slippery and some are just too far for the short-legged person like me to make a jump. So I just tried my best to get as near as I can. After a few photographs, I begin to make my way out. 

Still thinking that I will be going to the Bridal Veil Falls after this, but I noticed that the sun began to set and I looked at my wrist watch, found out that it is already 6pm. So, I gave up going to the Bridal Veil Falls for this time. 

I walked back to the covered bridge, and saw lots of other hikers who are also on their way back to the car park. One of the hikers has a dog with them and the dog just came up to me, sniffed at me. I know why he is sniffing me, I have a bit of cheese stuck on my pants (I tried to clean them off unsuccessfully) and he is trying to lick them off me - hahaha. It was a really funny moment. Then, the owner came up to take him away from me. But I am delighted to be able to touch such a friendly dog. I find that dogs in the US are pretty friendly and tall. 

Overall, I really enjoyed my hike and I think I will return again sometime soon to finish the other waterfalls. Now, I am going to drive back to devour a plate of big prawns!

A Photo Blog: A summer dream

Sorry for the long hiatus! 

I have been travelling. This time to the US! For work and a bit of personal time. 

Currently, I am enjoying lunch with a glass of wine in the nearby vineyard in one particular southern state of America. Vineyard here is still so green and pleasant to walk. 

I don't know much about wine, but I love to have a glass or two while working. So if you see any typo, you know what I have been doing *wink. 

Yes! More wine, please!

This trip just reminded how I needed to visit Japan's wine region in Katsunuma. If only I have more time... Well, once I am back, I guess I better do some proper trip planning for next year.

Well, I hope you have an awesome day!