Rose garden in a mountain, Atami, Shizuoka - Japan

Hello!♡

Updating this blog is always exciting!

Recently, I travelled down to the coast in Shizuoka to see

the "only" jacaranda flower in mainland Japan.

Apparently there are a few in Miyazaki in Kyushu

and these are the only places in Japan that can grow jacaranda trees.

Beautiful color isn't it?

I adore blue hydrangeas too, but this is a bit outstanding.

I was taking photos of everything then -

a man walking his dog talked to me and told me about jacaranda trees.

They have been growing a lot more trees of jacaranda along the beach

but they are still small and some has flower but most don't yet.

Atamiiii! Tropical peninsula! Gogogo :)

You can do it!

Bloom!

It's apparently the best to visit Atami in End of June-Mid July to watch jacaranda.

They bloomed earlier this year though. This was the only tree in full bloom.

There is a herb and rose garden in a mountain in Atami
where you can overlook at the sea from above.

 I thought rose season has ended long ago,

but it was really impressive how they maintain all kind of flowers.

One of the most beautiful gardens I have visited recently.

♡

Didn't expect my dress to fit in so well here.

The colors are so instagrammic aren't they?

The rose garden is open from April to July.

I am unsure what they showcase the rest of the year

but it is really worth traveling up here♡

♡

Rose everywhere♡

Detail:

Akao Herb & Rose Garden

Address: 〒413-0101 Shizuoka Prefecture, Atami, Kamitaga, １０２７−８

Phone:0557-82-1221

Anna Kirishima

Worship♡

Hello!

I am 25 years old, and this many of my friends are getting married phenomenon has been finally happening to me!

It is an amazing feeling, my friends from high school or even before getting married is like - ...

Literally, I am a mother and my daughters are getting married!

When have they grown so much? I thought they are still little girls!

Kind of feeling.

No I am not married. I am single.

I am constantly reminded.

Anyway.

So I am hoping to be able to attend my friend's wedding in Taiwan later this year!

Taipei this time, and what I am writing about today is my Kaohsiung trip in early May♡

My Townske guide - "Kaohsiung" http://townske.com/guide/14977/gravity-from-wind-turbines

Smir Nasli floral bag♡

Tripod is always a trouble when getting on airplanes...

I should work my way around!

#SorryNotSorry for talking to people sitting next to me on aircraft always!

I met this incredibly kind man who taught me a lot about Kaohsiung before landing in there.

I didn't know Taiwan is like a tropical island until just before landing in there...

Taiwanese Starbucks was SO pretty!

Apparently they have a much wider range of products than Starbucks USA or Starbucks Japan.

They were so pretty that I wish I could get so many of them!

I love hotel breakfast buffet, why are they necessarily so good?

I like breads. I enjoy eating breads, so much. I don't know why...

I didn't stay at Sheraton, Hilton nor Mariott but this little hotel was so cozy and comfortable...

Kaohsiung was a great place, incredibly kind and friendly people,

Close to the sea and mountains ( didn't get to see one though )

Lots of attractions packed together in the city.

Night Market♡

A huge long avenue filled with food stalls and store advertisers.

At early hours there are more local people and later in nights there were more tourists I viewed.

Central station - Formosa Boulevard station.

Famous for the stained glass ceiling! So pretty♡

I went through this station so many times during my stay!

This place was the main attraction and one of the main destinations in Kaohsiung.

Quickly painted that dragon and tiger in airplane but

I was so relieved that I painted them in the correct order!

I was surprised to see even bigger statues around these two though...

Lotus Pond has so many things to see all the way around it!

Whenever I travel, I always go to a harbor.

I personally really liked Cijin island where I could catch a ferry from one of the harbors in Kaohsiung.

I loove the ferry ride!

I went there specifically for the wind turbines,

however the sunset I got to see was breathtaking!

There were people working out in the park just underneath wind turbines.

I was filming the sun setting for over 30minutes... (haha)

It was a great trip down to the island.

I only got to see the quarter of it but I would definitely love to see the whole island!

Apparently one day isn't enough to explore this island and many tourists come back there over and over again.

I am really happy to have a reason to go back to Taiwan and within the same year!

And am also super happy that my friends are getting happier!

2016 will be an amazing year♡

Thanks for reading!

Anna Kirishima

Self devotion

I have been practicing yoga on and off for a while.

I am still a newbie and I don't stick to a particular style so 

I have been trying out this and that everywhere.

Today I have spent about 8 hours practicing yoga at this Tokyo's biggest yoga fiesta -

Organic Life Tokyo.

I have learnt so much about the theory and religious part of yoga from multiple teachers.

The last class I have taken from 6pm - 7pm, it was exceptional.

- Mahiro&Lilly&Padmini/Jivamukti yoga
"バクティは全ての切り札”

The title says "Bhakti is the trump card to everything",
I am sure it was a beginner Jivamukti yoga class, it was the most hardcore practice I have done though..

I loved their studies and the practice.

"Bhakti means devotion"

When we were practicing Urdhva Dhanurasana

They said to us to imagine having someone you love on your chest and never let them fall
and thank them, without expecting anything in return.

And in the end of the class all of the attendees (about more than 100?)
made a circle and sang together.

How can you experience it without a tear!

I am now planning to visit some of their workshops and attend regular classes...

The practice is physically really strong, and challenging.

My body felt so much lighter after the whole day yoga practice!

I went the 8 hours without eating but I didn't feel hungry at all :)

That's what yoga does I believe!

Hope this year I can become a baby yogi!

Anna

Over the 2 days

Good evening♡

A few days ago, I saw a photo of a Torii gate standing on a rock in the ocean,

and the caption said it is located in Ibaraki prefecture.

So I booked a hotel in Ibaraki as soon as I saw that,

and caught a bus on Friday to travel to the torii gate.

And... Nemophila, which is supposed to be in full bloom now!

My co-worker said I drew a radish right there,

well... I wouldn't argue against it, 

but the things on top are supposed to be the shape of Ibaraki Prefecture and Tokyo :)

Self portrait before heading out!

Camera face

View from the rooftop...

It's so exciting to be up there!

The buildings are so short in Ibaraki!

The roads are neat and clean aren't they.

******

On the second day, I woke up at 1 in the morning.

Had a long warm bath (The best part of the whole traveling thing), got ready and headed out to capture the sunrise.

I popped outside and... saw no taxies anywhere.

So I took a train to the neighboring big station and caught a cab... (either way...)

It took a while for me to get there and I missed the sunrise... >< but

We got a lot of water splashing!

Yay! I am at the toriii!! (where?)

Ther.... there....!

Behind the splash....

Ta da!

It is really lucky for me to see and feel this massive splash anywhere I travel at all really.

There are rocky shores but you can't always get a high tide/strong wind/good timing all together.

It was just so exciting to keep pressing the shutter to the timing of the splash.

Of course it would have been much more ideal if I have arrived 10 minutes earlier but

seeing and enjoying the morning with this Torii was a great experience for me.

Plus I met this awesome girl on the rock (cliff?) and became great travel friends :)

we took photos of each other and she even drove me to my hotel!

Can't wait to travel to and around her neighborhood this year!

Another place I needed to check out beside the Torii place was the Nemophila garden,

it is the famous Nemophila garden by the shore called Hitachi Seaside park.

I enjoyed the train ride to the park too! The locomotive looking train was so cute♡

As the taxi driver said - It was full bloom on last Sunday and they are going now...

Cherry blossoms bloomed much earlier this year too, it started to get warm really early this year!

This is just my perspective though.

I am a big fan of monochrome colors, Black, White and... maybe not monochromatic but gold, and silver.

But I have been feeling that blue is the color most similar to neutral, closest to transparency.

I really liked how the hill was colored in blue so it looks like the ground is merging with the sky♡

Honestly, I thought this yellow flower was gorgeous.

But turned out I seem to be dreadfully allergic to this flower and whenever I was around them I couldn't stop sneezing and my eyes were itchy and...

How does that happen!? I haven't interacted with this flower so much in my life!

Next time I will definitely need a mask... *crying laughing emoji*

I don't know why it feels so relaxing to watch pink and red...♡

Is it because I am a girl?

Tulips were so relaxing to watch. Loved this garden♡

I needed to rush back out because of my hay fever but it was a great park!

Ibaraki prefecture was a prefecture of flower,

every season, different flowers bloom and it's so blessing.

********

I have always been a staying in my comfort zone

laying myself on the gravity kind of person.

I don't know where my current impulsive wanderlust comes from.

But I will keep seeking a place to belong, not to run away from my territory.

And I love bath♡

Onsennn! (I scream for onsen!)

Can't wait to plan the next spontaneous trip♡

Thanks for reading my blog :)

Anna

Sakura Sakura

Good... afternoon already.

I was going to go out in the morning though...

Anyway, yesterday was the April first.

Yesterday morning I opened my email and

I saw amazing news.

I have received an amazing offer and I was so, so excited.

I was congratulating myself for a few hours and...

Realized it was April first.

*Pulls off a very awkward expression that emoji can't even express*

I am actually very nervous to think if it could be actually an April Fool prank.

Please, do not be.

Anyway!

It was supposed to be raining today so I decided to check out the sakura in Yoyogi park yesterday.

When the rain comes, Sakura will go.

It is the most fragile flower yet unimaginably powerful.

No wonder sakura is everyone's favorite flower.

In the morning when nobody is still out there in a festival mood.

Are they measuring the square? Got me a little curious.

I have always been and will always be a rose person
since I fell in love with the thorns roses let surrounding themselves.

But I thoroughly understand sakura fans.

I feel blessed from my brain to the skin when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom

and the mortality mesmerizes me whenever I see them up there.

I really hope to still be traveling around chasing these little beauties everywhere in Japan.

These things always fascinate me,

massive blue sheets all over the park,

enormous rubbish bags made out of blue sheet - ruining the scenery.

They are not necessarily the most beautiful things

but it's interesting how those convenient things adapted in the culture.

I adore the contrast between early morning and mid day on a day like this.

The change is drastic and I just wonder where those people come from.

I am a morning person so I am only active in the morning when not many people are out yet,

it obviously feels great, but I enjoy watching this too.

Or night, I am really really keen on photographing or videographing at night.

Anyway.

Hope the April Fool prank (or not) will turn down the offer within today...

Thanks for reading my article! I will come back soon ♡

Anna Kirishima

Okinawa romance

Hello dear beautiful friends of mine!

I have been... doing a lot of things♡

HEHE.

I have decided to wander around the entire island of Japan over the next... year and a bit!

Let me introduce you this beautiful island Okinawa.

http://townske.com/guide/13642/without-knowing-okinawa

(I am also on Townske as your travel guide! ♡)

It was my very first time visiting Okinawa.

Simply saying... Okinawa was a huge color palette.

Started off my journey in Ikei island - East coast of Okinawa.

The sunrise and the reflection of the sun were nostalgic and I was drowning in the beauty of the morning.

Okinawa- where the water is translucently emerald green... 

How I wish I could dive! 

It was absolutely blessing to view the ocean from above.

It was the most luxurious thing I have done in a looong time...

American Village in the morning!

It loses its funkiness and full of fun! 

You can't tell how vividly gorgeous this place is at night, looking like an Easter show!

Kouri island where the romance comes true when you "desperately" wish for it...

You need to be desperate on that beach I heard.

Two heart shaped rocks and couples taking a selfie with them..

Love♡

No matter how many photos I post the picture pulls off different color, different tone and different atmosphere...

How blessing is this!

I fell in love with this sunset as the sun fell slowly behind the horizon...

Little Santorini I call it♡

Santorini is definitely on my to go list! :)

I LOVE the color white and surrounded in white,

this purely white place was absolutely stunning.

Staying there and feeling the whiteness was sheer bliss...♡

I was there super early in the morning so all I could do was walk around this beautiful open castle but

hope someday I can drop by a few of those cafes and relax on the terrace chair...♡

Okinawa has a strong sense in peace, and they are beautifully colored.

360 degrees, every where you turn, Okinawa shows you a whole different color you haven't mixed yet.

This enormous object in a kids park next to the Peace Memorial Park was my favorite!

There are wind turbines nearby and look at the colors of this object! Surrealistically beautiful♡

I tried to sneak into one piece and realized how big I was ... physically

(Mind still being a child though...)

I couldn't leave Okinawa without having these perfectly spheric ice creams at Blue Seal.

I heard that there are still Blue Seal stores in mainland Japan too, but it was extremely exciting to have those traditional ice creams in a warm, tropical weather.

I will be painting, singing with my beloved guitar and traveling this year, a lot.

I will update my blog on my journey, hope you enjoy, and find out something new...

Hope I can show you a brand new face of the world!

Wishing you a wonderful spring ahead!

Anna Kirishima