2)Sunday, February 19, 2012 Weather: Sunny Flowers of hamamelis

• This year, it has been heavily snowing in snowy region. In Tokyo, severely cold weather continued even in February. This morning, it seemed that the temperature might be the lowest in this winter.
• A few days ago, the NHK TV reported that the flowers of hamamelis had started to blossom out in Wako City Forest Park. Thus I had a plan to visit there at the weekend.
• It was fine. Although it was very cold with strong north wind on previous day, it was breezing today. But it was not warm.
• Anyway, I left home around 9:30 with digital camera and headed for Wako City Forest Park.
• The flowers we can only see now around here is wintersweet. Opening of the flowers of Ume tree is delayed owing to continued cold weather.
• I reached the park after one-hour running. A lot of runners were running on the running course in the park. (One round is 1 km.)
• Most of trees in the park were deciduous. It took time to find out the flowers of hamamelis.
• Finally I found trees with yellow flowers. Many flowers were still bud stage. But two trees were almost in full blossom. I took pictures. The contrast between blue sky and yellow flowers was wonderful.
• I dropped in the Ohizumi Central Park adjoining Forest Park on the way to the home. I found that red Ume flowers were opening up. Of course, I took pictures.
• It was still cold, but I felt that the spring would be coming.
  
  
  Display board Flowers of hamamelis Flowers of hamamelis
  
  
  flowers of hamamelis Red Ume flower
  
  
  
• Today's running distance was 22 km.

1)Sunday, January 1, 2012 Weather: Cloudy occasionally sunny New Year's Running

• It was cloudy and cold in the morning of New Year's Day in 2012.
• I started to run around 2:00 PM.
• I dropped in Hikawa Shrine in the vicinity; however, I found a lot of New Year's visitors to the shrine made a long line. I did not want to wait in the line and decided to pass through.
• I remembered that there was another Hikawa Shrine near the confluence of Ochiai and Kurome Rivers.
• I visited Koyama Hikawa Shrine and could pay my respects there since there were a few worshippers.
• Then I ran alongside Kurome River to Heirinji Temple.
• I arrived in Heirinji Temple around 3:00 PM. I saw a lot of visitors there in spite of New Year's Day.
• Heirinji Temple is a temple of Zen sect and thus it seemed to have little to do with New Year's Day.
• The only item related to New Year's Day was today's words written on the display board in the precinct: New Year's Day is a milestone of journey to the netherworld. Thus it is either a happy day or an unhappy day!
• New Year's sun was falling towards the west after 4:00 PM.
  
  
  Koyama Hikawa Shrine Heirinnji Temple Main Temple
  
  
  Today's Words Ochiai River in the early evening
  
  
  
• Today's running distance was 15 km.