謹賀新年 Happy New Year

明けましておめでとうございます

New Year's greeting to you!

right: lion's face mask for lion dance ; to exorcise evil from a person

I thought that it had two sets of eyebrows first, but later I realized the upper part is the ear.

center: kadomatsu ; ornament on the front gate

left: lion dance costume (maybe)

橦木 wooden pole used to ring a hanging bell

この橦木（しゅもく）は、シュロの木から作られたものです。シュロは堅いので、鐘を撞くのに適した材料です。最近はシュロの橦木を見かけることはあまりありません。

This pole was made of a hemp palm. Because a trunk of a hemp palm is very hard, it is suitable materials to hit a bell, but recently we seldom see a pole made of a hemp palm.

In Japan, on New Year's Eve, they ring 108 times of bells at each temple. It is said that this sound of the bell releases people from 108 human worldly desires.

1/160sec, F1.8, manual, ISO200, 50mm (aps-c)

銀杏の老木 old ginkgo tree

表面はレイヤー構造になっていました。
横にしてみると、侵食された大地に見えなくもないです。

The surface has become the multi-layered structure.
I could even say that it looks like the eroded earth if I put this photograph widthwise.

1/80sec, F1.8, manual, ISO800, 50mm (aps-c)

闖入者 intruder

オナガが茂みのなかで騒ぎ始めましたが、その後居なくなりました。

Several azure-winged magpies began to make noise in the bush, but they flew away afterward.

camellia

1/50sec, F1.8, manual, ISO200, 50mm (aps-c)

灯明 votive light

ローソクの灯には、自らを燃やし辺りを照らす尊さを感じますが、電球にはその趣を感じません。

I feel certain kind of preciousness for candles which burn themselves and light up the area, but do not feel the same feeling to electric lighting devices.

compact digital camera, auto

ピンクのサザンカ pink sasanqua

随分、優しい色のサザンカが咲いていました。

A very gentle color sasanqua bloomed.

1/250sec, F1.8, manual, ISO200, 50mm (aps-c)

冬の桐 paulownia in winter

桐材は、軽いことでよく知られていますが、また燃えにくいそうです。

The paulownia materials are well known as a light weight, and are also hard to burn.

via negative processing