Hanayo
Spring is almost here

Awataro’s* garden has a fence.

I heard that the animals come down to his garden.

I was very concerned that the wire fence was out of proportion to the thatched roof of the house.

When Awataro visited my garden in Nogata, he admired my wild roses, japanese honeysuckle and wisteria ivy.

We talked about twisting those ivies around the fence of his garden one day.

An elongated, bright jade-colored moss-like plant arrived at New Year’s from Awataro.

He told me to decorate the tokonoma with it.

Every New Year’s Day in Edo is surprisingly cloudless and sunny.

The moss is glistening in the tokonoma on the second floor of our house.

Its leaves are dry and the first day of spring has passed, but they shine just the same.

I decided to send the promised set of plant seeds as a thank-you.

In addition to the ivy, I have seeds of kibana cosmos, hagi tree, fujibakama plants, akigiri leaves, and japanese morning glory that will look good in the garden throughout the year.

I also included some sheet music of Hauta, a traditional Japanese folk song that I am currently practicing.

When I met him later, he was very pleased with the parcel.

However, I’ve heard that keeping a garden in the mountains is not a simple task.

It is a constant struggle against the weeds.

If the weeds are not cut with an electric mower at least once a month, they quickly take over.

When that happens, mamushi pit vipers may enter the house, which can be quite dangerous.

Perhaps my dream of living in the satoyama is a foolish one.

*AAWAA

Hanayo

February, 2024

Photography: Hanayo

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