Cherry Blossoms in Tamba City

 Here comes cherry blossoms season in Kansai Area. I drove to Tamba City to see and shooting photos of the view.
 There are many cherry trees along Kakogawa River in Tamba City,  I enjoyed driving on Route 175 and 483. It was really ethereal and amazing scenery.

 Very long lined cherry trees. It is a part of "Furusato Sakura-dzutsumi Kairo", which is long chain between Setouchi Inkandsea and Sea of Japan by the Hyogo Prefecture. It completed 19 years ago, and then cherry trees grow up decently. Of course, not all trees could be grow because Somei-Yoshino cherry is very weak for some kinds of diseases. If one tree caught the disease, neighbour trees might die one after another. Fortunately cherry trees are fine in the mid and northern Tamba City.

　

 This is an another spot, Kuramachino in Tamba City. These trees are clearly older than ones on bank of Kakogawa. They say those trees are about 50 years old. Old cherry trees show dynamic beauty like waves and vortices with glaceful and comlplicated branches. 

 It is at same location, Kuramachino aka "Tamba Shōnen Sizen-no-Ie". Many people had picnic under those trees. I suppose Kuramachino is the best spot for cherry blossoms in Tamba City. It is worth to visit.

Spring Ephemeral in Tamba

 I'm sorry about silence because I caught a bad cold for some weeks. I'm just fine now. It was so chilly even in April this year.
 I planed driving to Tamba City and shooting photos of spring ephemeral 3 days ago, actually I did but   katakuri flowers were regressed by snow falling. I just took some photos of flower buds and visited small temple near the katakuri garden. It was a happy accident. That small temple, Tassin-ji has huge nomber of old buddha statues made hundreds or thousand years ago. It was strange a small temple has numerous buddha statues, the legend only saggests a few circumstances. It is still mystery today. Unfortunately photo shooting is prohibited in the museum, I can report it was worth to see beautiful, unique and mysterious relic statues here.

Anyway, I visited the katakuri garden again today. It was very fine weather, so ephemeral flowers burst into bloom.
 Katakuri is a kind of fawn lilies, they are usually seen in mid and northern Japan. There are a few colonies in Kansai(Kinki) Region. Kiyozumi is one of them. Here is a link to the article of Katakuri on wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythronium_japonicum

Temple Tassin-ji

 Narcissi were blooming nicely in the garden.

Skylum AI photo processing app for drone photos; AirMagic pre-order until March 20

Skylum anounced drone photo editing app AirMagic release March 21. It is automatic editable app like Photolemur. If you are interested in it, check the website,https://skylum.com/l/airmagic-checkout
I think the sky enhance effect and haze removal effect are useful for landscape photography, too.

Plum Garden in Nakayama Temple, Takaradzuka City, Hyogo, Japan

 Nakayama Temple in Takaradzuka is well known as devotion to safe childbirth since ancient times.
Many pregnant women and their families come a long way, my mother, grandmother and great-grandmother did, too. There are always visitors one after another, especially massive visitors thronged there on ceremonial days "Inu-no-hi"(dog day in chinese zodiac).
However, my purpose is not doevotion to easy birth, but looking plum blossoms there this time. The plum garden in Nakayama Temple is well known, too.

  There are 1k apricot trees on the temple. Each tree and is maintained very well. Of course garden, too. I couldn't find any over grown apricots nor gabage.

 The another future is gorgeous buidings. They can be seen through the year differently plum blossoms. hehe...

Mysterious flagellates of Temple Gayain. Miki City, Hyogo, Japan

 Sparkle flagellates are often found in small ponds or caves all over the Main Island of Japan. They are called "Hikari-mo".  I was suddenly reminded the memory my father took me to see them in Miki City when I was a child. Unfortunately we couldn't see any visions at that time. It is said the best season is January to Feburary, so I was trying to find again.

 There are two locations known well in Kinki(Kansai) Region, one is a cave, "Sijimi no Ishimuro" in the Miki Disaster Prevention Park (Miki Bōsai Kōen). The another is a pond in Temple Gayain. Both are adjacent area in Miki City. I went to Temple Gayain this time.

The first image was processed color contrust with AuroraHDR. Actually it was a bit vaguer with the naked eye like this. Reflection of sun light looks like raibow color by flagellates. They say it looks clearer depending upon climate condition like coldness and strong sunshine. I guess it is a kind of structural coloration, but is rare flagellate's effect at least in Japan. BTW this pond is always white cloudy in the other seasons.

Here are some other shots.

 Temple Gayain has many features for beautiful nature, ancient buddhism and Satoyama contents. It is one of my favorite location.

Old Port Village, Sakoshi in Ako City, Hyogo, Japan

Sakoshi is a small port town but it has various features, e.g. the lenegends of historical person Hata no Kawakatsu and the ceremony "Funa Matsuri" of Ōsake Shrine, beautiful landcape of the inlet and ilands, the street with old traditional houses, and special oysters growing with benefit from Chigusa River.

 View from Mt.Chausu. That island at the center is the sanctuary of Ōsake Shrine. Buidings for the ritual are barely seen on the island.

 Numerous old "Ema" in Ōsake Shrine. Ema is dedicated pictures for gods on wooden bords, they are usually drawing a horse or othe familiar spirits of gods, portraits of samurai, scene of wars or events and so on. There are pictures of ships and  "kagura" dancers particularly in this shrine. It seems to be relative to the legend of Hata no Kawakatsu as an originator of "sarugaku" theater. Regarding the legend, read the artcle on the wilipedia. It is based on Zeami's treatize hundreads years later.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hata_no_Kawakatsu
Hata no Kawakatsu is very interesting person who stimulate my imagination, but I stop describing before it gets too long...

Main street in Sakoshi town. Sakoshi developped as the important port of shipping trade in the 17-18th century.

 Old sake brewery. It smells sweet inside. I bought a bottle of sake there.

Aayabe-yama Plum Forest, Tatsuno City

Aayabe-yama is located in Tasuno City, and is very close to Aboshi Area in Himeji City. Thus this area is very influenced from Himeji ecconomics and culture rather than Tatsuno and Ibo Area. The Plum Fprest is known as view spot with plum blossoms and Seto Inland Sea.

There are 20,000 plum trees planted on the mountain. Unfortunately the blossoms are too early at the best today. White plums will blossom in next week or later.

Himeji is seen over hazy sky....

Feeling a early spring...
These rocks on the right side is an ancient tomb. There are 16 small tombs on the Aayabe-yama. They were build about 1,500 years ago.
BTW, those plum fruits are picked by local grannies in the summer. I can imagine it is so hard job on steep sloope...



Using National Route2 is easier and toll free, but I really hate local rough drivers among Shima section in Himeji City, Sanyo toll expressway is better than feeling stress.

Luminar3.02 updated today, folder management, performance improvement and more.

I had used Luminar 2018 still after getting Luminar 3 because the 3 was often got gritch in importing or cropping images. Performance and stability seem to be better, forder managements and integration of AuroraHDR, supporting new cameras and language added in ver.3.02.
Probably I switch over the luminar 3 in earnest.

Check the detail here.
https://skylum.com/blog/luminar-3-0-2

San-Center Plaza; Old Guy's Paradise, Sannomiya, Kobe City

 San Plaza and Center Plaza are old and big commercial buidings located on Sannomiya Center Street.  Honestly, these buidings are not lively but I don't have any memories that they are crowded last 30 years. Sannomiya Center Street itself has been unsettled since the earthquake, though. Motomachi Area is definitely more amusing than Sannomiya Area today. I'm wondering if Sannomiya Area would revive old days.
 Anyway, restaurant mall is just hot under those desolate buildings.
 I had not been there for 20 years around because there were a few restaurants for the young, but it changed into strange spot somewhat.

 Tons of old men rush their lunch at their favorite restaurants or food stands. Youngs, women and tourists are seen there, but working old men are clearly much more.

 Beefsteak, Katsudon, Ramen, Curried rice and American Chinese dishes etc..... A Lineup of foods is very partial. All are meaty and greasy.

 I think I might be happy on the mall like this when I was a child, actually my parents always took me to Akashiyaki bar, so I was very fed up with it. Surprisingly, that Akashiyaki bar opens still now.

 The dishes are not refined nor elegant, but may be not choosy. It is the best spot to eat and leave quickly. I must say it is some kind of Japanese style.

Maiko Park, Anciant Tomb:Gosikizuka Kofun, Kobe City, Hyogo, Japan

Maiko Area, Tarumi-ku is an another scenic spot in Kobe Warterfront. It was known as a beautiful beach with sands and green pines untill WW2. Poets and painters took landscape of Maiko Beach as their objects once. However, pine trees were decayed with air polution and pine wood namatode after the last war. Local comunity and government try to preserve and revive pine woods, so they are getting better year by year recently.
Many tourists visit there to enjoy the view, but their main purposes are Akashi Kaikyo Bridge instead of those pines today.

 Akashi Kaikyo Bridge is 3.911m, it is the longest suspnension bridge in the world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akashi_Kaikyō_Bridge
 I sometimes drive through this bridge to go to Shikoku, I feel swinging bridge with wind. So it is closed with blowing at 25m around.

Old mansions built with western style dotted in thhe Area between Shioya and Maiko, this is one of them. It is founding father of ROC, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall for the political refugee in Maiko. Thus many Chinese tourists visit there.

 Maiko Area has been known as hotels with gourmet restaurant, those hotel are located on the places with a fine view.

 Now for the another spot.
 Goshikizuka Kofun is an ancient tomb burried the leader of powerful clan. It is probably only one tomb where people can climb up in Japan. It is restored original condition, It is very clear to see unique shape. This shape looks like keyhole, but it was designed for horizontal view, not but bird's-eye view by ancient people. Personally I guess trapezium part was something magical purpose of powerful dead-leader's spiritual path from tomb to their community or lands.

 Nice view!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kofun

"Kyu-Kyoryuchi"; Former Foreign Settlement in Kobe

 Kyu-Kyoryuchi was started as a foregin settlement in 1868, as a result of Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Japan and US.  It brought huge influence and prosparity to Kobe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_foreign_settlement

 Kyu-Kyoryuchi district is known as one of sightseeing spots in Kobe among Japanese travellers,  since old townscape is remained. Meanwhile, there are few foreign tourists, probably those old buidings are common or much more in the other countries. As most of you know, Japan is a country with many earthquakes, thus such stone stractures are fragile, actually they are pulled down year by year. I suppose such old buidings will dissapear completely in the future.

It is mainly busines district today, those streets is not so busy nor showy unlike other areas in daytime. 

I recommend to visit there after sunset, most stores are closed, though. 

Daimaru Department Store is developping brand shops in the west side of Kyu-Kyoryuchi. 

It is said young generations are losing interests in such luxury brands in Japan. No one knows future scenery of those areas.....