When Cosmos Bloomed in Japan

Never saw this before. Drove by it once and was OH so looking forward to slowing down the next time 'round. Little farm roads right there, we turned into there, driving by another day. KIDS created this gorgeous community of scarecrows! Each scarecrow had notes about their creators  

 It felt scary, seeing this, but grand baby Halle was all right!

 

Me in there in the photo below, you see? : )

 A typhoon blew through a few days later, lots of these guys couldn't stand up to it, but most did.

This guy, can you see... if you click on the pic, the info will come up more clearly who made him.

 

 

 

DOMINOES! Pizza, apron (below)!!! ha haaaa!

Sayonora!!!

Buddha On the Hill 頭大仏 near Sapporo, Hokkaido October 2017 before snowfall

"ATAMA DAIBUTSU  To a new world of prayer." 

(From the brochure we picked up) "The concept: showing the whole by showing only a part.

This Buddha statue is known as the symbol of Makomanai Takino Cemetery. (I'm so sorry I didn't photograph the crazy largeness of the cemetery! It made me think of U.S. cemeteries.)

 The recently created Hill of the Buddha, with the Atama Daibutsu at the center for worship, was created by world-famous architect Tadao Ando. 'How does a statue become a more solemn, attractive figure?' Ando asked himself...

His bold answer was to cover the  statue with a hill of lavender...(there are 150,000 of these plants swirling the hillside. At this season, each one is cut back and TIED to withstand the winter snow)

Surprisingly, one only sees the head of the statue surrounded by the landscape of the hill. Atama Daibutsu (The Buddha's Head) was named for its novel, impressive appearance. It stands in perfect harmony with the surrounding landscape in all seasons.

 Thus has a new symbol of the cemetery been established.

Water garden      This is a sacred boundary. By detouring around the water garden instead of making a straight approach, one purifies the soul, and one's mindset switches from the ordinary, to the extraordinary.

After walking the long path,

one arrives at a moving, astonishing scene.

One sees the head of the Buddha, but one can't reach it quickly. This design is Mr. Ando's intention. The idea comes from his experience of being impressed when looking up at Buddha statues glistening in the dim sunlight deep in the caves of India and China. A water garden that makes visitors bypass the straight route...a dim, 40 meter tunnel: These stir anticipation of encountering the unseen statue. Depending on the day's weather, one experiences sunny skies, floating clouds, wind, rainfall or snowfall, seen through the unroofed space. Such natural elements make the statue all the more celestial."

On our way away... and exiting the cemetery, we found these:

Pics from the NISEKO Onsen in Hokkaido

An afternoon outside of Sapporo about 40 minutes was NIKKA WHISKY makers location. 

A drama recently was produced on site. 

Where the whisky maker Taketuru, Masu-san was able to make the Japanese whiskey. 

Though neither Taka nor I EVER drink whiskey, Taka got to see what he wanted to see~ 

We went to a winery, and had lunch with wine not really anything we cared for. But the soft-cream, Taka was all into!


Another area Taka found, we collected fresh water from falls, where it's famous for making tofu, and people going to collect all the free waterfall water

Taka found this ski resort hotel, since no snow, the cost to stay was wonderfully reasonable.

In NISEKO

The mountain behind the clouds is called EZO-FUJI...Ezo is an old word for Hokkaido. Another word for the mountain is YOUTEIZAN, something about sheep's feet.

From our hotel room:

Looking back the other way insdie, our bedroom behind the glass wall (that had shades to cover for privacy)

From inside the bedroom~

Everytime we walked through the hall, I saw these room numbers:  615   616... then 617  618

and always thought of Zen and Sheon with their birthdays 6/16 and 6/18   (our room number was 620)

Speaking of numbers. The elevator does like old ways. No number 4. The number of death! 

The morning after, and no rain. the front of the hotel "Ki"   "Tree" THATS why all the woody stuff!

But then all the cows too! ; )   Hokkaido= cows!

This was some of the first autumn colors! And wood prepped to set up around trees to support snow.

Trees planted on mounds. Taka said, to give height above snow.

 The food!  An hor deurve squash soup.
Then... what ever all this was.

Sushi

Deserts. I really never eat deserts. But this coconut delicacy, I tried.