Lens-Artists Challenge# 301 – Floral

/ Leya

Sofia leads a challenge this week, that is right up my alley – Floral. Again it is Japan that inspires me – and I urge you to visit Sofia’s beautiful site for more inspiration. Let’s have a celebration of flowers! Different angles, close-ups or from further away.

My visit to the Wisteria gardens in Japan is, without exaggerating, the most magical experience I have ever had. I cannot choose what to show from them, so the pictures are many. My words will be few instead – to make up for this multitude… I hope you will forgive me.

The Kawachi Fujien Wisteria Garden in Kitakyushu is unforgettable.

The garden is situated up in the mountains, and is difficult to reach – there are no trains or buses, you have to take a taxi.

I came for the Wisteria Tunnels. They have one 80 meter tunnel and one 100 meter tunnel, both with multicoloured effects.

The Golden Week with many vacation days make the Japanese esthetics go watching the flowers glow. And they were many, both men and women. And flowers. We did not see any other tourists there, except Japanese people. And us two from Sweden.

I was not disappointed – we had calculated the time rather well, and was lucky too – some of the flowers were over and some had just started.

From the outside the tunnels looked compact, and less ”alive”. ”It is the inside that counts”… as with us humans.

A little ICM and the tree is still alive and visible from the inside.

Some species were big and heavy, hanging in long threads of almost a meter’s length,

while others were shorter, or long and delicate ones.

In one of the tunnels there were double flowers – I didn’t know they existed until now.

With this B&W, I wanted to show you the feeling I had while walking up on the mountain to the flat area on top. It felt like snow at home, a calm winter’s day, with softly falling snowflakes in my face. You will see what I mean…

Time did not exist – walking, standing, sitting, contemplating – trying to take it all in and to keep it forever. Stay in the moment. And what a moment!

The old Wisteria trees were otherworldly, and I am still trying to understand I have really been there. Seen them. I would be happy if you stayed with me throughout, but I won’t blame you if you think this is just too much.

A Wisteria tree can grow very old – 150 years for the oldest ones here. If you look at their trunks, you will not doubt it.

People were oblivious of where or how they walked. Some visitors were very old, and some came in wheelchairs. We heard about people who came every year, even if it was so difficult a place to reach.

Beautiful people, beautiful minds – esthetics.

Snow or purple rain? Otherworldly.

Pink Wisteria was not that common in the park, but this giant was mindblowing.

Thank you so much if you have followed this far. These are but a few of all my photos from Kawachi. I will spare you the rest, but hope you have been inspired to some day visit Japan.

Thank you for last week’s many delicate answers to my challenge – I really enjoyed the variety and how useful this word it is! Next week it’s John’s turn to lead, so please visit his unique site for more inspiration.

Until then – celebrate!

85 reaktioner på ”Lens-Artists Challenge# 301 – Floral”

  7. Pingback: Lens-ArtistPC24-301-Floral – WoollyMuses

  8. The photos are literally over the top WOW! What a fascinating, enchanting, and jaw-dropping place to visit. I’m in awe of the angles and photos you captured. Simply spectacular! I see the snow-like feeling in the B&W too. Yes, if I were to be a traveler to Japan, you bet I’d go see this place in person. I’d tell them A-C sent me. 😍

    Svara

  9. Beautiful! And, as usual, I had no problems, at all, ”staying with you” till the end – even as, your photo and words, pulled and tugged at various parts of my heart – it’s hard, sometimes, for me, to convey properly in words and/or pictures, the deep, within, beauty I see in both the blizzard and the tender spring only, once a year, lilac blooms I love so much that are, at same time, so very, very brief and tender to wide ranging changes in tempermental spring weather here –

    Sort of like, ”yeah – got walk high, far, and hard, or make the journey, every year, whether easy or not, just to witness, be a part of, one moment in time, the beauty of….” the things around us – which I experience all the durn time, but often fail to take a picture to share with others, about – too busy experiencing the moment to remember – to snap a pic! 😀

    Svara

  11. Amazing! Stunning! Wow!

    This garden is surreal or should I say the trunks and roots are surreal. I’ve never seen anything like the volume of wisteria and certainly never seen a pink one.

    As I scrolled through your post, the flowers dropped down to number 2 on my astonishment list as I found the trunks and roots like something out of a sci-fi film of a distant past or fantastic future. No wonder you couldn’t stopping clicking away.

    Thanks for sharing, Anne-Christine.

    (I’m a big fan of Japanese interior design, so looks like the gardens will have to be add to my Bucket List)

    .

    Svara

    • Thank you, Vicki! I agree about the trunks – otherworldly. Interior design is fascinating. Do you use Japanese style in your home?

      Svara

      • A little bit. I had some Japanese prints framed a couple of years ago and my black (and sometimes rattan inlay on the doors) is a contemporary design which makes you think of some Japanese interiors, but I wish I lived in a large apartment to spread my furniture out some more.

        When I replaced my old furniture about 3 years ago, I was going to go ‘minimalist’, but I needed more storage and could no longer kneel or sit on the floor, so I had to buy chairs and a good recliner leather armchair (which I slept on for the month after my hip replacement and open-heart surgery),so it turned out to be more furniture than I anticipated.

        New affordable apartments are very small in Melbourne, but at least I have a relatively large balcony.

  13. Absolutely incredible images, Ann-Christine. I knew you would do Floral justice but this is just exceptional. You brought the magic right into my living room.

    Svara

  18. Wow! Ann-Christine, you have introduced me to a garden and a tree I’ve never noticed before. Your showcase makes me want to find wisteria in ”the wild”, or at least in a garden. I see there is an American Wisteria variety that grows well in the eastern U.S., and southern Canada. Thanks for enlightening me.

    Svara

  20. So, thanks to you I’ve picked when to return to Japan! It’s a dream, Ann-Christine. I’ve seen photos of this garden before but it’s when you show us the twisted trunks that it really took a different feel, dimension, everything. No words.

    Svara

  21. Of course wisteria comes from China and Japan, but I had not heard of a garden. What an incredible sight, brief though the flowering period is. I love the B&W image and purple rain and how you immersed yourself in the beauty. And the smell must have been incredible. Well worth the effort of getting there.

    Svara

    • Thank you, Jude! The scent was all over the garden and we could feel it already on opening the taxi door. I agree, it was worth the long journey getting there. An experience for life. I am certainly convinced you would have loved it!

      Svara

  23. Wow what a treat to see wisteria bloom so happily here Ann-Christine! 💜 I love the way you captured them from different angles, it really feels as if we’re walking here with you 💜🙏

    Svara

  24. My favorite line. ”Time did not exist.” I could fee that in your photos, AC. I have waited for this in hopes you would take us to the wisteria forests. It is more than I could imagine, and while I knew of the twists and turns in the trunks, I did not know how long they live. I can only image the care it takes to keep this. I would be right with you. standing, walking, contemplating. You really did calculate your time wisely. Wow!!!

    Svara

    • Thank you, Donna! You would have loved it too. And yes, it must be a full time job to grow these, pruning and making the long branches rest comfortably. During the rest of the year, other species take over – cherry, hydrangea, azalea, etc.
      The garden is private and lies up in the mountains.

      Svara

  26. Amazingly beautiful Ann-Christine. I love the plants twists and turns as much as the flowers.
    Tina is right, the photos are a wow on my big screen

    Svara

  28. What a wonderful experience you had. You were in Japan at one of the best times of the year. A year ago we saw a quick succession of flowers after the cherries have blossomed. It is beautiful time.

    Svara

  30. Oh my God, what a stunning post! You must have spent hours there — I would! The photos are breathtaking. Your ICM is incredibly beautiful. Excellent post and photos, Ann-Christine!

    Svara

    • Thank you, Egidio! It is easy to send beauty if it is served like this! And you are right – we spent half a day there, and it could have been more if possible. But, there was no place to eat and you were not allowed to picnic.The garden is private. But it was no problem to starve that day…

      Svara

  34. Your photos of this magical wisteria garden immerse me in its beauty and enchantment. I would have kept scrolling no matter how many images you included. Places like this deserve to be showcased!

    Svara

  35. Oh my goodness Ann-Christine. I started looking at your post on my iPhone but after 1 or 2 images I knew it had to be on my fullscreen computer. Incredibly magical! Wisteria is one of my favorite flowers. We do have it here and it blooms very nicely at Magnolia Gardens and grows wild along the road that leads to Kiawah but has a very short season and Good Heavens, NOTHING like this! I cannot imagine the feeling of being alongside those ancient vines/trees (which is it, or both?). I am insanely jealous but if I were to choose anyone I know who could both appreciate the wonder AND capture it with a lens, it would be you. I’m so happy you chose the time perfectly and were able to share these incredible moments with us.

    Svara

    • Thank you for your kind comment and yes, I had never seen anything like it. We too have Wisteria, but this was insanely beautiful in all colours, lengths and the look of the flowers. So grateful for the opportunity!

      Svara

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  41. Oh my goodness, how absolutely gorgeous! I love every single photo and would really love to go to Japan to see the gardens. Absolutely stunning everywhere you look.

    Svara

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