As you have seen last time, Japan can be unbeatable when it comes to colors and brightness. But fortunately, the island kingdom in the Far East can also do Green, one of the most soothing colors of all. Green is nature, health and peace, even if there might be some exceptions.

So today's subject is tranquility, without any humans disturbing the scenery! Japanese parks are sometimes not worth the name, but there are great gardens, which often belong to temple or castle complexes and are lovingly and extensively maintained. And Green helps us to switch off a bit and calm down. That's why people go for walks in the forest, to distract themselves and recharge their batteries. And if green is then combined so pleasantly as in Japan, then just by looking at some photos you might feel like you're in another world.

Gardens as I said. That's something they can do in Japan. Unfortunately, most people never get to see the most amazing gardens, but even in some public gardens you can enjoy great views and this special atmosphere. Real Japanese, as the foreign visitor would say.

To integrate nature into daily life was already practiced and partly perfected by the old masters here in the land of the rising sun. Those who wanted to show off employed a famous garden master (sounds better than gardener, doesn't it?!) on or around their estate and had their own green paradise designed. As for example, in the first four photos, which were taken in Niigata Prefecture, in the garden of a former landowner who here in the countryside, in the rice chamber of Japan could apparently afford to raise funds for his green heaven. If it looked like this right in front of my living room, I wouldn't be able to stop relaxing, it would somehow become an addiction.

But please sit down, lean back and relax. Life will become stressful again automatically, we don't need to accelerate it even more.

The last picture took us to Kyoto, to the Golden Pavilion which is actually a temple and one of the placed in Japan that attracts the public. Immortalized in billions of photos, I still managed to block out the crowds around me for a brief moment.

These two photos were taken in Kyoto as well, the old political and cultural capital, a city which is peppered with temples, shrines and gardens. A bit mystical or enchanted, the whole picture just takes me in completely. I can't escape some recurring melancholy. Oh yes, beautiful it is!

I also found some nice gardens in the south of Japan, as the last two photos prove. On the island of Kyushu in Fukuoka near the old castle ruins you can find this complex, which quickly captivates every visitor with its stunning scenery.

A park belonging to the castle complex in Kanazawa, created only in modern times, but still charming and inviting. Modern gardens can easily keep up and seduce just as magical as the traditional ones.

A part of Kenryokuen Park in Kanazawa, the park is one of the most famous parks in the country and unfortunately you often have to share it with many other people. Especially on the main paths crossing through the park, you will find a lot of people, but if you stay a little bit aside, it will be quite comfortable.

And to round up today's collection I have this shot from Yamanashi Prefecture for you. Japan has plenty of mountains, and often they are densely covered with forest and quite untouched. But they always make for a good get-away and place to find back to yourself.

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That's it for today, I hope this little picture collection helped you to wind down a little and to calm your mind and senses.

I will be back soon with new impressions from the land of the rising sun, so please stop by again.

またね　Matane

[//]:# (!pinmapple 34.994630 lat 135.776312 long Back to Green - Time to sooth our eyes d3scr)