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An unseasonably warm day！

It was another hot day in the city of Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture. Although it is autumn, the temperature exceeded 30℃. An unseasonal heat wave seems continue for a while. A cotton rosemallow (Hibiscus mutabilis) plant was blooming in Maple Mountain Garden in Sumpu Castle Park.

Maple Mountain Garden, Sumpu Castle Park, Shizuoka, Shizuoka, 10/02/2024

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Colorful Amaranthus and Cosmos Flowers

Amaranthus seeds are known for their nutritional value, as they are a rich source of protein, dietary fiber, panthothenic acid, vitamin B6, folate, and several dietary minerals (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranth). In pre-Hispanic times, amaranth was cultivated by the Aztec and their tributary communities in a quantity similar to maize and thought to have represented up to 80% of their energy consumption before the Spanish conquest (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranth; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranth_grain).

There are also colorful Amaranthus species and grown as ornamental purposes (https://stock.adobe.com/jp/search?k=%22amaranth+plant%22 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranthus_hypochondriacus; https://www.echocommunity.org/ja/resources/bdaae15f-c558-4170-a4e0-0eb156a7370f; https://www.growveg.com/plants/us-and-canada/how-to-grow-amaranth-ornamental/).

Globe amaranth ‘Fireworks’ (Gomphrena globosa ‘Fireworks’ ) is one of the colorful Amaranthus species and planted as garden and roadside plants (https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/gomphrena-globosa-fireworks/common-name/globe-amaranth-fireworks/; https://www.shutterstock.com/search/globe-amaranth-flowers?page=9).

Globe amaranth ‘Fireworks’ flowers planted along a street, Hokuto, Yamanashi, 9/25, 2024

The garden cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) is a typical autumn plant, grown here and there (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmos_bipinnatus).

Cosmos flowers, Hokuto, Yamanashi, 9/25, 2024

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Harvest season is around the corner

Maturing buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) and rice (Oryza sativa) plants in the fields in the city of Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture. Buckwheat seeds are ground into buckwheat flour and made into soba noodles. Soba noodles are made primarily from buckwheat flour, with a small amount of wheat flour mixed in. In Europe, buckwheat flour is usually used to make pancakes and crepes. Rice is a cereal grain and in its domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world’s population, particularly in Asia and Africa.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckwheat; https://oldeuropean-restaurant.com/what-is-buckwheat-and-why-is-it-used-to-make-pancakes/; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oryza_sativa; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice).

Buckwheat Fields, Nagasaka, Yamanashi, 9/25/2024

Rice Fields, Nagasaka, Yamanashi, 9/25/2024

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Some Plants in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

It was another crazy hot day. The highest temperature in Shinjuku, Tokyo was exceeded 35℃. Yet, I was in in Shinjuku and visited at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.

Some plants in the greenhouse and a pond of Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (https://fng.or.jp/shinjuku/en/; https://www.env.go.jp/garden/shinjukugyoen/english/index.html).

Flame violet (Episcia cupreata), Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 9/18/2024

Elkhorn fern (Platycerium bifurcatum), Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 9/18/2024

Water canna (Thalia dealbata), Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 9/18/2024 

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Godzilla Head and Shinjuku Scenes

Godzilla head in Shinjuku Toho Building (https://shinjuku-toho-bldg.toho.co.jp/#; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjuku_Toho_Building).

Godzilla Head, 8th Floor, Shinjuku Toho Bldg, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 9/18/2024

Godzilla Head-Manhole Covers, Shinjuku Toho Bldg, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 9/18/2024

A karaoke building and Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 9/18/2024

Shinjuku West-exit Omoide Yokocho alley, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 9/18/2024

Shinjuku East-exit Golden-town alley, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 9/18/2024

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjuku_Golden_Gai

FYI: https://www.gotokyo.org/en/index.html