nishi zao..

end of yoga in the morning on the west side of mt zao...getting cold now, i wonder how long we can continue....the air is so tasty up there!

yamaboushi...

japanese flowering dogwood, they are quite sweet, but pretty non descript so am making jam with them now ; ) i just love free food..

a really scarey crow!!!

the farmer next door had hung a real dead crow up! i guess that would definitely scare the crows away!!!

scare crow..

protecting the pears, yamagata is famous for it's huge sweet fruit

rice harvest..

tree bark..

buddha rides elephant..

an unsual figure in a japanese temple..

sendai city...

morning yoga practice in a temple at the top of a hill..

shinto water cleansing.....

An old Japanese ritual...really was fascinating to watch!

night before the festival...

walked out of my house, to find laterns stung across the road and a big full moon ☆

sunrise...