Japanese Maple - Clive James

I was sad to hear of Clive James passing this week.  "Unreliable Memoirs" was a wonderful read and I have always admired his incredible way with words and sense of humour and wisdom.  So today we have maples and a Clive James poem.  Click on the title to hear Clive read the poem.

Japanese Maple, by Clive James

Your death, near now, is of an easy sort.

So slow a fading out brings no real pain.

Breath growing short

Is just uncomfortable. You feel the drain

Of energy, but thought and sight remain:

Enhanced, in fact. When did you ever see

So much sweet beauty as when fine rain falls

On that small tree

And saturates your brick back garden walls,

So many Amber Rooms and mirror halls?

Ever more lavish as the dusk descends

This glistening illuminates the air.

It never ends.

Whenever the rain comes it will be there,

Beyond my time, but now I take my share.

My daughter’s choice, the maple tree is new.

Come autumn and its leaves will turn to flame.

What I must do

Is live to see that. That will end the game

For me, though life continues all the same:

Filling the double doors to bathe my eyes,

A final flood of colors will live on

As my mind dies,

Burned by my vision of a world that shone

So brightly at the last, and then was gone.

‘Japanese Maple’ by Clive James, first published in the New Yorker, © Clive James, 2014

Yellows at Arashiyama

The plan for the afternoon at Arashiyama didn't quite work out, the scenic train was fully booked and due to Mary's supreme navigation skills and Googlemaps we didn't actually make it to the famous Bamboo Forest.  However "life belongs to the gifted" and we ended up walking along this beautiful river, away from the crowds, surrounded by fabulous autumn colour.  Bamboo forests are overrated!!

Autumn lights

When visiting Arashiyama, a neighbourhood of Kyoto on Saturday I was excited to discover the night illumination of the gardens at Hogon-in Temple.  The colours of the leaves were divine, and while crowded the walk through the delightful garden was magical.

Autumn Colour

I am back from a wonderful long weekend in Kyoto, where the autumn colours were superb. This was a small creek at Tofuku-ji Temple where the maples were divine and the crowds massive.

Sunday Kimono 8

Yes I have bought some kimonos.  I couldn't resist this pattern.

Golden autumn

Gorgeous golden maple in front of a bamboo copse at Showa Kinen Park.

Lantern and Leaves

Stone lanterns are another of my Japanese obsessions - so extra happy when the lantern is in a garden of maples as at Mount Mitake shrine.

Tuesday Towers - Skytree

A photo from August of Tokyo Skytree tower with lanterns floating by on the Sumida River.

Autumn glory

Autumn has arrived - in full colour.  I was out and about on the weekend exploring the Tama River valley.  Today I went to Mitake Gorge and Mount Mitake.  This incredibly red maple was at the temple/shrine at the top of the mountain.

Sunday Kimono 7

Kimono worn on a Saturday -  yesterday in the Japanese garden at Showa Kinen Park.  

Along the path

These wooden panel lined the path to Yakuoin Shrine on Mount Takao.

Autumn Colour

Autumn leaves linked by thread made a gorgeous and unique display at Nicolai Bergmann Florist. To die for!!!!!

The Lucky 5 Yen Coin

Five yen - pronounced go yen - sounds similar to go-en - good fortune.

So a five yen coin denotes good fortune. The coin has a hole in the centre so its easily tied to strings at shrines -at Mt Takao on Sunday - as an offering for good fortune.

Tuesday Towers - Tokyo Skytree

The Tokyo Skytreee Tower can be seen in the distance on the horizon in this view over Tokyo from Mt Takao on Sunday.  Its about 60km away and in between is densely populated Tokyo - population over 30 million!

Autumn Red

Yesterday I walked up Mt Takao - along with 100s of other Tokyoites.

It is one of the places to visit for autumn colours so everyone was out and about.  There were some golden leaves and a few reds such as this maple near the tori gate at the entrance to the shrine near the top of the mountain.

Persimmon Season

It is persimmon season in Japan.  Over the fall break, while travelling in Kanazawa, Kurobe and Takayama we saw many persimmon trees laden with ripe fruit.

Neat trash

  More photos of neat trash.  This was on my walk to work this morning.  Neat and tidy small piles of separated rubbish.

Tuesday Tower - Harbour Light

A smaller tower - the Chicago Harbour Light on Lake Michigan on the breakwater protecting Chicago Harbour from the waters of Lake Michigan.  A cruise on the Chicago River and out to the harbour was a highlight of my time in Chicago in the summer.

After the rugby

My friend Marie shared this photo with me. She attended the Rugby World Cup semi finals last weekend.  Marie was amazed by the amount of Heineken consumed.  I was amazed by the neat packing of the boxes for rubbish collection.  How neat and tidy is that!!! Wouldn't see that at the G!

Sunday Kimono 6 - On the Shinkansen

Last Sunday on the Shinkansen from Odawara to Shin-Yokahama we were sitting opposite this lady in her Sunday best kimono and bright  haori (silk over jacket).

Basque in Japan

Last night I had dinner at a Basque/Spanish restaurant in Yoga.  The food was delicious - lentils and then sautée duck filet with Spanish wine.  It was very Japanese as the restaurant was narrow and small and I sat at the bar watching the single chef manage the pans.  YUMMMMM