Memories of Spring

Many months have passed but the memories of spring are etched in my mind.

Taken in Osaka, Japan during early April. Forgive me for posting almost five months later, ha ha!

Osaka on Film

Here are some of the photos I took using my Fujifilm Instax while I was in Osaka! The photos on the first row were taken during a visit to Osaka Castle Park. The cherry blossoms were blooming and it was absolutely wonderful walking around the park, although the photos are a little overexposed because the sun was shining very brightly that day. The second row of pictures was taken during a walk back to the hotel, often stopping by Mos Burger for some grub. Lastly, the third row of photos was taken at the ever-popular Glico sign. The one in the middle was taken at a nearby shopping area. I think the couple in the picture was embarrassed that they were included in the picture, ha ha! 

Sadly, these are all the photos I was able to take in Japan. Next time I'll be sure to ignore my sister's orders and abuse my Instax more. I hope you enjoy them. :3

Just Passing By

A simple yet picturesque suburb somewhere in Hokkaido which I, unfortunately, did not have the privilege of exploring.. I was only able to capture these pictures from inside the tour bus. Mounds of dirty snow, cute and colorful buildings, an occasional biker, and I was even able to see little Japanese kids on some sort of field trip! They were so adorable. And so tiny.

Norwegian Wood

In my mind, the Norwegian Wood is a magical place, where there are trees that surround you from all directions, asleep as the days of winter pass. Where it is quiet. Where one's footsteps digging deep into the layers of uncompacted snow is the loudest sound that can be heard.Where a fox's trails can be found, but not followed. Where the remnants of a woodpecker's breakfast lay on the ground. Where the snow wafts softly and quietly, caught in one's eyelashes from time to time. Where the breath becomes visible for a fleeting moment. Where the trees are scarred by water that freezes inside them, releasing a loud cracking sound, if you are lucky enough to catch it. Where the wind is still and the branches are unmoving. Where one can make her first snow angel. Where the trunk of a fallen tree becomes something you can lean on to rest. Where taking a single step can send one's leg falling deep into the snow.Where the cry of an unknown bird can be heard from afar.Where the temperature in the atmosphere is -15°Celsius or lower. Where perfect snowflakes fall gently onto one's wool gloves. Where the tip of one's nose becomes red and numb. Where one can have a cup of warm coffee, no matter how bland or bitter. Where one could read a book.Where one could stay for hours, deep in thought in the Norwegian Wood.

These pictures were taken during my trip to Japan, in Hokkaido, but this is how I would imagine Norwegian Wood to be.

Sweet Home

A place where I feel content, where I am happy, where my soul needs nothing more and nothing less, where my troubles vanish, where I am completely at peace. I love the bucolic areas of Japan, even more so when everything is covered in snow. Everything was so simple; it felt as though I had found equilibrium.

I took these pictures in the Dried Flower House of Farm Tomita. There was a little cafe where they sold lavender-flavored ice cream. It's a bit strange to be eating ice cream when the weather outside is ice-cold, but it was absolutely divine. The taste was sweet and tangy, but very light. Eating and tasting soft-served ice cream in Japan is a must, there are so many favors to try! There was also a gift shop that sold goods made with the lavender produced by the farm, like lotion, perfume, and soap. And lastly, the dried flower house, of course! I have no decent photos of it, sadly. It was a giant, wooden room with bouquets of dried flowers in an array of colors, dangling from th ceiling, covering the walls, doors---everywhere! In just a few steps, you can go from winter wonderland to an autumnal haven. Oh Hokkaido, my sweet home.

A Greenhouse in Farm Tomita

One of the places I visited in Hokkaido was a flower farm located in Nakafurano, called Farm Tomita. Early April probably isn't the best time to visit since the weather is still very cold and there is still so much snow. Normally, the vast fields of unadulterated snow are filled with streams of colorful flowers. But during the winter time, Farm Tomita keeps their flora inside a greenhouse, so anyone can visit at any time and still enjoy a beautiful array of flowers, including lavender, poppies, and marigolds.

Visiting the farm early in the morning was just amazing, The greenhouse was very cozy. I could have spent hours inside there, just looking at the flowers and sitting on a bench. It would have been absolutely amazing to sit there with a book and a cup of coffee, different from the usual coffee shop, ha ha! I was a little bit sad because I was expecting the room to smell like lavender, but the lavender was still in the process of blooming. So instead, the air was cool and crisp, and very fresh, as if the little greenhouse was a box of spring. There was also a little brick well covered in moss. I was taken aback when I read a sign that said "Do not feed the fish." There were fish in that well!

My Favorite Place

First order of business upon landing at the airport: stock up on Lipton Milk Tea at Lawson, my water for the trip.

My family and I ate at this cozy hotpot restaurant, where we had ourselves some seafood hotpot. The place was completely barren; there was only one other table occupied. Two if you count one of the staff handling some papers. Snow began to fall heavily while we ate, what a great way to start the trip! My restless nephew kept himself busy while waiting for everyone else to finish their meal. Afterwards, we bought ourselves some soft-served ice cream. Blueberry for me.

Traditional Japanese toilets, nyehe. How ominous looking.

As a travel agent, my mom organized the trip as part family vacation and part familiarization trip. A lot of time was spent inside a bus as we moved from one area to the next. Sometimes it would take up to three hours to get to the next destination, but I don't think I slept once on that bus. The snow kept me busy. There were times I'd stick my camera out of the window to take a photo of the scenery and pull back quickly as if I were shooting bullets at some zombies, then quickly hiding to reload. Although in reality, I was hiding to prevent frostbite. I'd love to open my window and feel the icy breeze on my face. You can't get that in the Philippines. I was like a dog sticking its head out the window, but that didn't matter. It did not matter at all.

It wasn't so long ago

Another photo of sakura, taken in Osaka.

How long has it been since then?

Not very long, actually.

But it feels almost like a dream to me now.