11.1.22
It...is...November...already!? I shall repeat the wise words of Mama Cho once again--time flies like a bird! Or maybe in relvance to this post, jumps like a frog? Because yes, frogs are cute but frogs nesting in dahlias? Adorable.
To celebrate Manki's birthday, Yuki took the three of us, and Sam (the other elementary school ALT) to a huge garden in Hiroshima flourishing with Manki's favorite flower, the dahlia. And even these pictures don't convey the PRESENCE these flowers had. My head was spinning right and left, being captivated by the 7500 stalks of 500 different dahlia species all around me. Petals of every color, of every gradient, of so many shapes and of so many sizes...I guarantee these fields would blow any art gallery out of the water.
Besides the dazzling dahlias (isn't my alliteration game super strong) we also happened upon a parade of stray rice festival participants, looking for a coffee and onigiri at the corner 7/11. I chuckled when seeing this fully costumed rice spirit undo his monster mask to open the convenience store doors. It was eve better because they carried bags of candy around to throw at children while parading through streets, and they were kind enough to share with a 23 year old adult. I suppose it was my trick or treating for the year!
look at this lil precious dude!!
LOOK HOW CUTE SHE IS AAAH
random rice festival van passing through that morning!!
Some rice oni heading into the convenience store for snack necessities
Sam aesthetically eyeing a dahlia resembling koi. I think this dahlia suited her elegant and kind personality very well.
Here is the ravenous Ikkun who was rewarded with flower castella cakes after waiting eons for me to get though the dahlia fields. He was starved, as is seen very clearly in this picture.
