🙊THE MONKEY'S SLIDE🛝
At first glance the teahouse garden appears to be made up of mostly moss, pine & camellia...but if you look more closely the borders are packed thick with dozens of varieties of plants.
One of the most beautiful at this time of year is the "Monkey's Slide".
More commonly known as crape myrtle (百日紅), older generations in Japan fondly call the tree 'saru suberi' (サルスベリ the "monkey's slide").
The bark of the tree is so smooth that even monkeys struggle to get a foothold!
#Kyoto #京都 #Japan #百日紅 #サルスベリ #IwataMonkeyPark
Crape (also crepe) myrtle gets its name from the appearance of its flowers, which look very much like crepe paper.
Blooming from mid-summer through to autumn, the flowers (commonly bright pink) are also known in Japan as 'hyakujitsukō' (百日紅 'red for 100 days').
#Japan #百日紅
Crape myrtle is also called 'namakemono-no-ki' (怠け者の木 the 'lazy tree'), because it sheds its leaves earlier and grows them later than most deciduous trees.
Flowers tumble down when the tree is shaken, so it's sometimes known as the 'ticklish tree' (笑いの木/くすぐりの木).
under the scorching sky
on the ground these flowers-
crape myrtle
炎天の 地上花あり 百日紅
-Takahama Kyoshi (高浜虚子 1874-1959).
In the language of flowers, 'hanakotoba' (花言葉), crape myrtle symbolise respect, speaking eloquently and innocence.
#花言葉 #Japan #crapemyrtle
Senbon Tamajuken (千本玉壽軒) is one of only a few stores to use crape myrtle as inspiration🙌
the Yakushi Hall
in a hot spring town
where crape myrtle is scattering
-Masuda Yoshiaki (増田善昭).
Trans. Gabi Greve.
Image thanks🙇♂️-
#Kyoto #和菓子 #wagashi ukiyo-e.org
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