Spring day in Japan! No work! Sunshine! The first sakura are on the trees, strawberries are sparkling under their green leaves, and the author of this blog is insanely happy. Just to let you know.

Last Wednesday, my roomates and I decided to have a one-day road trip to the prefecture of Chiba, just on the other side of Tokyo bay, to pick up strawberries and relax at the farm. Here are a few pictures of this glorious spring day!

Strawberry Farm

Barbecue in the valley

Mother Farm - Vacances a la ferme

Happy time!

 Spring is coming!

The red momiji (Japanese maples) are used to be the stars of the fall season in the archipelago, with their violently flaming tones attracting the visitors in the mountains, the forests and the parks; but for me, in autumn, there's nothing like the Tokyo golden gingko trees shining on the perfect blue sky. Pure beauty. Pure energy. And God knows that I need it these days.

Yellow vegetal torches

Gingko biloba (銀杏, "ichou" in Japanese : silver apricot) is also called the "maidenhair tree": this is probably the reason why I feel so close to them! Hey, soul sisters! Furthermore, according to the specialists, ginkgos are remarkably easy to care for and will grow in most conditions from sun through to shade. And this type of tree is sexualized: there are male and female gingkos. In Japan, kids learn to identify them according to the shape of the leaves : a skirt shape for a female tree, a trouser shape for a male tree.

Ichou trees are very familiar vegetals in Tokyo, and they are part of the daily landscape of millions of Japanese, but actually, they are very special, because we don't know any "relatives" to this specy. It makes it amazingly unique. The scientist call it a "living fossile", because it belongs to this range of species that were born 270 millions years ago. Gingkos are wise, very wise trees.

Let's get inspired

Whisper words of wisdom: let it be.

One hour train from Tokyo Shibuya by the Shonan Shinjuku line: Oomiya, Saitama and their peaceful pace. Red shrines, old trees, bamboos, onsen and good food waiting for you!

Take a breath!

Oomiya shrine

Oh my pretty bamboos

Hot red umeshu

Grilled beef and vegetables, tofu, salad, miso soup

Two sesame ice-cream

A sunny Saturday, finally ! I jumped on the Chuo-line (from Shinjuku station, 45 minutes by express train to Takaosanguchi station) and had the best walk ever to the top of Takaosan !

To reach the trail, I just had to sit in a nice "lift" chair and fly above the trees ! Soooo great and relaxing !

Takao-san nature : green, sculptural roots, and amazing flowers that even don't look real...

Pont suspenduuuu

Takao Top !

And on the way back...

I feel rejuvenated ! Go and have a walk before the rainy season...

At Meguro.

Winter is coming.

Most of the graveyards in Japan have no walls, no fences, no gates; and it made me realize that our graveyards really look like prisons. It's not surprising that the Western zombies just want to escape and walk freely in town like anyone else.
So there is no gates, no guardians, and you can come anytime - by night, too. It's a place like another. So it's really not frightening. Even ghost stories are used to take place in summer in the Japanese tales, when it's super-warm - while we can not imaging a dead spirit without thinking of cold, freezing wind... as a result, in this sunny December, no way you feel ill at ease in a Japanese cemetery !

Aoyama yard, Tokyo