Rose garden: Ofuna Botanical Garden (Kamakura)

Led by the magic of bewitching colors and enticing scents, I absently strayed into the summer rose garden.

In the garden full of the dazzling sunlight, the countless rose flowers were blooming in radiant glory as if to compete with one another in their own beauty and aroma.

By this breathtaking beauty of full-blown rose flowers in the sun, I was reminded of the painting entitled "The Path Under The Rose Trellises, Giverny" by Claude Monet, which painting tells me about the profound respect and admiration of this artist for the exquisite impression of sunlight and the sincere beauty of plants.

Rose garden: Ofuna Botanical Garden (Kamakura)

Rose garden: Ofuna Botanical Garden (Kamakura)

Rose garden: Ofuna Botanical Garden (Kamakura)

Rose garden: Ofuna Botanical Garden (Kamakura)

Rose garden: Ofuna Botanical Garden (Kamakura)

Rose garden: Ofuna Botanical Garden (Kamakura)

Rose garden: Ofuna Botanical Garden (Kamakura)

Rose garden: Ofuna Botanical Garden (Kamakura)

Aosuji-ageha (blue-triangle) butterfly: Kencho-ji

Like a graceful daydream flitting in the bright sunlight, the blue-striped summer butterfly suddenly appeared from nowhere in the air and alighted on the small white flower before my eyes.

In an instant, it sucked nectar from the flower while beating its wings and then quickly fleeted from one flower to the next for eagerly seeking nectar. Immediately after doing so, it swiftly flied high up and vanished into thin air.

Summer butterflies are beginning to fly around here to let me realize that the season of the dazzling sun has just arrived.

Baika-utsugi (Philadelphus satsumi) flowers: Kaizo-ji

Every flower devotedly blooms like a beautiful and transient daydream.

A moment of stillness: Engaku-ji

At the very instant when the monk quietly got up on his feet, the rapid stream of time was frozen by the subtle chemistry of stillness and the absolute present moment revealed itself. 

Fresh green leaves: Shari-den, Engaku-ji

The early summer breeze was gently blowing down from the slope thickly covered with the dazzling fresh green and was conveying to me the quiet aura of enlightenment which was completely pervading this small valley.

Kakitsubata (Iris laevigata) flowers: Kaizo-ji

New leaves above the pond: Tsurugaoka-hachimangu

Shaga (Iris japonica) flowers: Engaku-ji

Hime-utsugi (Deutzia gracilis) flowers: Kita-kamakura

Tsutsuji (Rhododendron) flowes: Kaizo-ji

Sekkoku (Dendrobium moniliforme) flowers: Kaizo-ji

Spring garden: Jochi-ji

Shiran (Bletilla striata Bletilla) flowers: Engaku-ji