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Jon - BEAUTIFUL! I love how clean and tidy the streets are! And the container gardening at just about every home is amazing! I think I would love living there myself if given that option! Do you have backyards? If so, are they big enough to grow a garden in? Those rice fields are unbelievable! I have never seen a rice field in photos or in real life! How cool! Where does the rice grow on the plant? Are rice the seeds? I am really fascinated by Japan. You must live in more of a rural area?

I was born in Tokyo many, many years ago. I don't think I would like Tokyo as much now as it is so over-populated. My father was stationed nearby at the US Air Force base. I had a Japanese nanny. Her name was Yaeko. My parents and I left when I was 2. I don't really remember much about it as I was so young. But I've always been interested in Japan. Perhaps some day I will be able to visit again. :-)

Thank you so much for sharing photos of your community! What a lovely area to live in! :-)

Dany - Nice white I. nil! Looks like a large bloom? I've not grown Pearly Gates, but I have friends that do and they are always pleased with all the blooms they get on theirs. Maybe it takes a special fertilizer to get them to bloom in flushes?

Jon - Thanks for the pronounciation of asagow. I was pronouncing it "a sA go". LOL!

Dany I love your comment learn language as a bird learns to sing, so true. Japanese is in fact no more or less
complicated to learn than any other language, what does make it difficult for people who speak European languages is the writing system of course. Thanks for the photo.

Becky the streets are clean and tidy because us residents clean them ourselves, there are no street cleaners
as such. All the container photos are the fronts of neighbors houses, most like mine have small back gardens.
Rice. Yes grown from whole rice grain and started during March in trays under cover, it's then transplanted
into the rice (paddy) fields around the end of April. If you take a close look at the rice field photos you will see
the top of the plants are a little yellow, this is the young rice developing. This is a very rural part of Japan and your right I think you would not like Tokyo, horrid place!
Thanks

Jon

Photo, part of my back garden

Jon - I LOVE your curvy garden bed in your backyard! So well manicured and beautifully decorated with the rocks and stones! Your edging along the bed is impressive, too! That would certainly discourage any weeds or grass from crossing over to your garden! I am always impressed by the way that Japanese prune their bushes and trees to keep them more compact. I wonder if the art of bonsai and topiary originated in Asia?

I've enjoyed all that you have shared with us about your community. I have heard that the Japanese are very friendly and kind people. You must truly enjoy living there! :-)

And again ... if you need any MG seeds, just let me know. I have some really nice I. nil seeds/vines/blooms. :-)

Thanks becky. Actually the curvy bed is in fact a drainage ditch I created to prevent water-logging during the rainy seasons. The idea is to look like a dry stream. The garden was only started this year the photo taken in
may soon after planting. For a little more info on my garden you may like to see this link.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1000966/

Japanese are without doubt some of the nicest people I have ever met. I absolutely love living here!
Thanks for the seed offer! I don't know what to say!

Jon

Jon - If you want some seeds, just dmail me your mailing info. I haven't heard of any problems mailing seeds to Japan. I don't know if they would be confiscated, but I could send you some and we shall see! :-) I'm game if you are! :-)

My DIL is Chinese and very sweet. And very respectful, thoughtful, and considerate. (She is also quite smart and will share her wise opinions. Which is great! Everyone always listens when she speaks!) I think those are wonderful qualities to have! I think most Asians are raised like that. :-) And most that I have met are intelligent. Must be all that fish (brain food) that they eat! :-)

Have you thought about putting some pebbles or small rocks in your dry stream? It might look nice. I posted on your other thread,,too! :-)

Yes I am planning to use a shale on the stream bed when I can aford it. LOL. Sending seed here is no problem.
There is a restriction on live plant material though, as I found out to my cost last year. I eat tones of fish but
never got any smarter! I will d mail my address tomorow as It's way past bedtime now.
Thanks Becky,

Jon ZZZZZZ

How's Pearly Gates doing, Jon?

Hi Joseph! Pearly Gates has grown really big now, not a sign of a flower yet. I just love the heart shaped leaf.
As I look from my window the sun shines through the foliage and gives the most beautiful effect, so regardless
of flowers I'm more than happy with it. I have been looking at some of your recent posts, they are fantastic!
Becky has very kindly sent me some of her seed for next year, I'm normally very patient with gardening, but
funny how patience diminishes as enthusiasm increases. I have big plans for next years garden and I'm
looking forward to our cool season to begin putting them into place. Since you returned back home we have
had two major earthquakes and two typhoons causing loss of life and much damage, fortunately we had a few good scares, no damage here! Last week I got bitten by a Viper in my garden and ended up in hospital,
so I guess it's good news week here! Never a dull moment in Japan, LOL. ^_^

Jon

WOW, Jon I did not know there was dangerous snakes in Japan.
No pic? LOL

Here in the garden there are only grass snakes eating fish and a very very big appetite.

Dany

Somehow it never occurred to me to take it's photo after being bitten! LOL There are around 9 poisonous
snakes in the Japanese islands, two or three native to Ibaraki usually living in the rice fields. They feed on
frogs and mice. My Viper was brown with a cross zigzag pattern about 3-4 feet long! Hurt like hell, but thanks
to our hospital carrying the anti venom, no big deal.

Jon

no big deal my gosh i would be freaking out. glad your ok would hate to lose a new friend to something like that.

i know the feeling. want to plant more but know my season is almost up. hope some of my vines will bloom before it is though. maybe its the year for no blooms.

I have been following the news on NHK website. It has been a very bad year for natural disasters in Japan, be safe, Jon.

Imzadi, Thanks for your kind words, It has been a strange year all round! The saving grace, I found you guys on
DG LOL!

Joseph, We live life here under the constant threat of earthquakes, Japan is one of the most geologically
active regions on the planet, with three major tectonic plates constantly pushing and pulling us. We are very
worried about (the big one) Kanto earthquake! the last one occurred in 1923 flattening Tokyo and the Kanto
region, geologists are predicting another within the next 25 years or so, Imagine a city like Tokyo suffering
an 8+ today! I can't even begin to think about it, but know it will happen one day. Surviving eartquakes is
largely a matter of luck, but we will try! LOL

Thanks

Jon

Jon - Carry a big stick when you are out and around outdoors! Be careful!!!

I know in California there is the San Andreas Fault line that seems to run up through the state and further north to Washington state, I believe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Andreas_Fault There is an old joke that folks living in Arizona and Nevada will one day have ocean front property should the BIG ONE (earthquake) ever happen. It's believed that beach front property would fall into the ocean should it ever happen.

Tokyo would be a nightmare because of the large, dense population and so many tall buildings. My mother and father remember a tremor when they were there years and years ago. It scared my Mother very much!

I am praying that your luck and guardian angels are surrounding you should an major earthquake happen. Luckily, you are not near any tall buildings. But you would have to escape your home quickly. I guess it's always good to be in alert for vipers, hornets, and earthquakes! Stay safe!

Hi Guys, we had another rattle this morning 7 am, M4.6 big enough to rattle your teeth, LOL
Our government recommends we stay in the house under a table during an earthquake because of heavy tiles falling from roofs and electric poles falling. It's a no win situation in a really big one. Over about M6.5 it is impossible to stand up! I quite often see a giant hornet passing through our garden and just go inside untill it's
gone. Vipers I doubt I will ever see another but gloves, big stick and a sharp eye for me!

Thanks Becky!

Jon

Sunset over the rice fields

I heard about that earthquake. Hope they stop soon, that's the third one in 1 or two weeks?

Lovely photo, almost looks like a polished agate stone.

Joseph

I hope those tremors stop soon! That would certainly unnerve me.

Do the hornets flying in swarms or as a single hornet? Those bad boys look big, too, for an insect! Eeeek!

Beautiful sunset photo! I agree with Joseph that it looks like a polished stone. Lovely!

I am praying that you and your family stay safe!!!

Hi Joseph, click this link and go to earthquake information and you will get an idea just how frequent they are.
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/yoho/314.html >>>>>>>>> It is rare to get through a month here without at least one.
I like the analogy "polished agate stone". I had to shoot over 100 to get this one trying various settings on my camera! LOL, Sunsets are so hard to photograph! You may also like to read the JT that has more info than NHK
Link. http://www.japantoday.com/

Jon

Becky, the tremors never stop but they are good because they indicate nothing is getting stuck. It is only when
there are no EQs for more than a month I begin to worry! Hornets do fly in swarms, though I have never seen that, only seen the odd individual one, thank god! I thank you for your kind thoughts for my family and I, please know they are reciprocated and appreciated.

Jon

Thanks for the links, Jon! I enjoy NHK for various reasons which include the free Japanese lessons page.