2013: Canal Walk

Dear Friends,

My arrival in Kyoto was late on March 20 on Korean Air via Seoul the rather new Renzo Piano designed (also the High Museum addition) Inchon airport. It was a long 26-hour door-to-door exercise but pleasant enough on new and well-staffed aircraft.

3/22 I’m off for my first Takanogawa river walk to get International Herald Tribune at the Keihan Train Station and a hot drink at Lotteria a convenient nearby fast food spot. First, I was shocked to note that the areas both north and south of the major bridge in our area had been scraped clean of all plant life and leveled as for some major — whatever. It looks so barren and unnatural. Ah, time will tell if there is some major plan afoot. Much of last year’s growth of grasses and rushes were still in place elsewhere in their tawny shades of beige. The very first of the cherry trees are beginning to show color including a weeping variety near said bridge with very pale blossoms and just one other tree further downstream with very dark pink flowers. The most common variety that line the roadside bank are still holding tight buds. But the weeping willows are a cascade of fresh green last seen at Gibbs Gardens in North GA earlier this month. But there were other signs of spring with some forsythia and a common blossoming shrub that is covered with tiny white, and less commonly with pink, blossoms called yukiyanagi (weeping snow bush). At ground level on the upper banks I saw a few grape hyacinths, late daffodils, some clusters of tiny blue flowers and larger patches of a white star shaped flower. Spring is on the way. Bird life was abundant with snowy egrets, herons, several varieties of ducks, diving cormorants plus a few of smaller birds flitting about. It was cold on the way downstream and I was bundled up to keep warm. After a hot tea and reading the first few pages of the paper I headed home but had to open up some layers on the way as the temps rose.

4/6 Update. The trees reached their prime just a few days ago with a few days of fine weather. Crowds of people converge, especially on weekends, spread out ground cloths to picnic and drink — all ages and walks of life take to this ritual spring celebration. The last two days we have had strong winds and rain so now the trees are losing pedals quickly and they pile up on the waters in decorative patterns or cluster on the ground as ‘pink snow’.

3/23 Today was the 2nd of my morning walks this time along the ‘canal’ just north of the house. Long ago it was once used to transport goods as it circles around north to west and south in the northern part of the city. There is very little street traffic so it’s a pleasant route to walk. The water in the canal is only a few inches deep in most areas and is about 20+ feet below the street level. The route is lined with cherry trees on both sides and houses of a great variety line the narrow one-way street on each side. I was shocked to discover many of the ancient cherry trees had been cut down and replaced with young trees that are quite tall but only 4 to 5 “ in diameter. They are all planted with care and braced with an elaborate support of three sturdy poles beautifully joined with wire and rope. I counted 119 new trees (and absent ancient ones) along the mile or so that the canal is in view and flowing above ground. There was evidence that some of the old trees were diseased with hollow cores. I’m told the life expectancy of this common tree (some sakura) is about 50 – 60 years so there was good reason to replace the old fellows. All the trees are heavy with fat buds but it will be a while yet before they open. However, the grassy banks that rise up to street level are filled with jonquils in full bloom along with the same yukiyanagi loaded with tiny white flowers I saw on my earlier river walk.

There are some forsythia, quite a few camellias in a range of colors and an occasional quince bush in a pinkish blend. There are two other blooming trees that deserve mention. One is covered with bright yellow cloud-like flowers but not so common. I must find out the name of this tree. In addition, the Japanese magnolias are in full bloom. We are familiar with these in GA but most impressive here are the ones with large creamy white blooms. The size is similar to the Southern magnolia although the form is quite different. Since these trees tend to grow large they are pruned to the extreme so some of the forms are, very frankly, grotesque.

4/6 Update. Now most of these cherry trees have also lost their blossoms along with the magnolias. But many camellias are still loaded with flowers and the Japanese maples are leafing out

Sakura (cherry) facts: If the temperature varies in some extreme way between day highs and night lows the early blooming weeping and the common variety will drop the whole five pedal blossom. Under normal conditions the pedals will drop one-by-one. We are far from that stage but my friend Ko-chan brought several fallen blossoms to a recent lunch meeting as proof. I experienced this myself after he alerted me. By the way, my address includes Nishi Sakuragi-cho, which can be translated as ‘west cherry tree block’. The neighboring block were the Coop supermarket and bus stop are located is called Takagi-cho, ‘tall tree block’.

Kitano Tenmagu, (Shinto Shrine) one of the oldest in Kyoto, is the venue for a monthly Flea Market on the 25th It is also famous for its many ume (plum) trees, which were still in bloom. Many of the trees are ancient with lots of lichens and mosses covering the trunks and branches. This aspect is often seen in folding screen paintings of the Edo period that include blooming plum trees. There is variety in the color of the blossoms from a very light tint of pink to a very intense deep shade. Also they range from single pedal varieties to double and triple types as well as weeping and standard forms. There is a strong spicy fragrance as well. The joy of the early spring here in Kyoto!

3/26 I took my 3rd river walk. It is an upstream direction toward the mountains from the walk of my 1st day along the Takanogawa. That walk is downstream and toward more ‘city’ activity, the train station and shops. The riverside pathways are less well developed here and narrower with less variety of botanical interest. It is lined with old and large cherry trees along the road, a few daffodils and some bird life. There has been another area scraped clean and leveled off here a little distance from the bridge where I first noticed this new feature some days ago. The river is very shallow the whole distance with lots of ‘islands’ that are covered with grasses and rushes or barren with exposed stones. These newly scraped areas are just above the water line now but when we get a heavy rain and the river rises a ton of loose soil is going to be washed downstream. That will result in these scraped areas being more rocks and stone-like in appearance without the usual green we are accustomed to seeing. It’s all a bit puzzling and strange.

I have been settling back into the house and a routine here with a new housemate to adjust to. I met Makoto, an artist of many talents, last fall through a friend so we have some mutual knowledge and experiences to build on. I am about ready to dive into some new studio work for a future show here, probably in the fall of 2014. 4/6 Update. Yes, the work is going well with progress in exploring new processes and materials.

It has been cold since I arrived so I tend to hang out in rooms with heaters. I have all the cold weather apparel I need so going out is no problem but layering up while inside is essential. On a recent morning the temperature was 48 in my ‘middle’ room. In addition to the low temps there is often a strong wind so it seems colder. But all of this should end soon with warmer weather and ohanami (cherry blossom viewing) will be in full swing.

4/6 Update. We have had a few warm days but more often low temps, which has extended the sakura season. The last few days have also seen strong rain and winds. Many areas of the center city and temple grounds are alight in the evenings so both day and night tours are in order. My old friend (We 1st met in 1983.) Kiyoji Tsuji, his wife and three daughters set aside one evening to tour the trees alight and conclude with a multi-course Italian dinner at Capriccioso, a restaurant owned by a mutual friend.

Cherry Cheers,

Glen