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.