November 03, 2011

Silver Sea

This is the silver world!
 My husband and I were amazed and lost words. We had never seen such a broad area covered with only silver pampas grasses. Last week, we went to Soni Highlands in Soni Village, Nara prefecture.

The pampas grass field continues as far as we can see. 

 A wind blows and  the silver heaves ripple and roll.

Several years ago, the villagers declared
their village is one of the most beautiful villages in Japan.
 No wonder.



There is no fancy flower gardens, but the quiet world of silver grasses.
I felt  as if the pampas grasses had absorbed any sound.

Once upon a time pampas grasses had been  important materials to roof in this village.  But the demands of them decreased rapidly.  So, a plan to transplant Japanese cedar trees instead popped up, but the villagers could not afford  to see the magnificent field of pampas grasses disappear,  and they decided to leave the field.  Nara Prefecture Government has helped preserve  40-hectare pampas field since then.

The ears of pampas grasses look like crystal beads shining against the sun.

They have brewed  the local beer "Soni Beer" in German style.
We could not wait to drink beer before taking photos.

We enjoyed lunch  tasting the beer which is amazingly light and mild! 



we were so mesmerized that we badly wanted to see pampas grasses shining  in dusk. But there was only one bus service a day commuting between Soni Highlands and the nearest station.  We had to take 2:30 bus to the station. We  decided to come back here again. On the way back home, we dropped in a travel agent and found a tour to Soni Highlands in dusk.

Too cloudy to see the sunset.

Yesterday we joined the tour, but unfortunately it was too cloudy to see the beautiful sunset. We imagined the pampas grasses against the setting sun glowing in gold!! It must have looked like Buddha's Pureland.  It is said that gold rays emit from the body of Buddha. That's why the main hall of a temple, where the main object of worship is enshrined, is called the golden hall. We will come here again. It is the great rain check for next year!

Young autumn leaves near Soni Village.

If you are interested in pampas grasses, please look at my blog, "Song in praise of autumn" where there are photos of young pampas grasses shinning in reddish bronze.

 


37 comments:

  1. Keiko, this post (as usual) is amazing. Thank heavens the government helped Soni to preserve this historical and beautiful place. You photos almost make me hear the sound of quietness, with only the wind and the swish of pampas making a sound.

    And, the beer looks delightful!

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  2. This is absolutely beautiful, Keiko. I have a patch of pampas grass that I adore. Seeing fields of it takes my breath away.

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  3. 日本の秋、薄を撮らせたらkeikoさんの右に出る方はおられない事でしょう! 秋の光と風、そして風情までしっかり伝わってきます。ご主人さまと一緒に素敵な秋の1日を満喫されましたね。☆⌒d(*^ー゚)b so nice!!

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  4. What a marvellous place. I could hardly imagine that such a place could exist. In my favourite county of Suffolk, along the coast, there are reed beds and the reeds ripple in the wind, almost as if they are on the fur of a live animal. But I think that the feathery plumes of the pampas grass would be a more amazing sight. I am always interested in the wonderful things in Nara Province, and so interested in your blog.

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  5. Hi,Snow white.
    ま~~見事なススキが咲き乱れるのですね!
    銀色に輝いて、ふさふさして大波、小波のススキですね。絶好のタイミングに行かれましたね。4番目のススキがお気に入りです。美味しそうなランチ、ご馳走様~!
    Tomoko.

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  6. oh Keiko it's always pure pleasure to view your world. because it's so beautiful and you capture it very well with your camera lens. exquisite photos. happy day to you.

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  7. Gorgeous...
    Regards from France,

    Pierre

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  8. You seem to have had a wonderful time with your husband at Soni Highland. Thanks for reminding me of the sensation when I visited there, snowwhite. The silver veil waved as wind blew.

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  9. 曽爾高原のすすき、そろそろ見頃かなと思っていたところです。あの感動をこんなに見事にとらえられるなんて、さすが!ですね。すばらしいの一言です。一瞬、実際にそよいでいるのでは!と錯覚しそうなほどの薄の動きが感じられます。
    うちはいつも車で行くので、おいしい地ビールはおあずけなんですよ。主人が飲めまないのに私だけ飲むわけにいかないですからね。
    (以前は一杯だけならいいかという事もあったんですけどね^^)

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  10. What beautiful grasses, and the hills do seem to have a silver sheen to them. What a magical walk you must have had.

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  11. 曽爾高原、何年か前に行っておかめ池の見渡せる高原を楽しみました。すごい眺め。写真を見ながら思い出しました。おかめの湯もいいですよ。この温泉には夏に訪れて、青い薄野を少しだけ歩きました。

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  12. BEAUTIFUL photos--and I love the title "Silver Sea"--so perfect with the pampas grass pictures. Have a lovely weekend. Mickie :)

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  13. Hello there, I am Richard from MY old Historic House. I am your newest follower, I love the field of tall grasses. What a dream like to walk through it blowing in the wind. I hope you visit me soon. Richard.

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  14. Keiko,this countryside is quite amazing,it must be breathtakingly beautiful to behold real life
    Isn't nature amazing!
    The light at dusk did produce an interesting image.As always your photos are lovely.
    Happy weekend!
    Ruby

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  15. How lovely to have a pathway through these rolling fields of swaying silver grasses. We have them here in my world but they are usually in clumps of only a few. :)

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  17. Exclente seecuencia de fotos.
    Me encantaron los colores.

    Un abrazo

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  18. Keiko, it is delightful post. The ears of pampas grasses look wonderful under the light. Beautiful, beautiful silver world!

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  19. Hello Keiko, To view the sea of pampas grass would be mesmerizing. I like that you caught its glowing, rippling effect at different times of the day. I have several varieties of tall grasses planted in large containers on my side patio in the city. I love their gracefulness and simplicity. I, too, would want to visit Soni Highlands again - it is a magical place. PS Lunch looks yummy!

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  20. Hi Snowwhite. Lovely photos. Here it's soon winter. But at the moment the nature thinks it's spring. The normal temperature for the season in first of November is about 4-5 C in the daytime. The next days the weatherforecast says 11-12 C. :0) Have a nice week-end

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  21. Wow - what gorgeous shots of the shimmering silver sea of the grasses! Just lovely.

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  22. Beautiful photography as usual. I can understand those fields must be even more impressive in real life.

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  23. ああ、絶景ですね!
    言葉で表現できない美しさです。

    昼ごはんもおいしそうです!!

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  24. I had no idea you had a village like this in Nara. The fields are so beautiful with the rolling hills and mountains surrounding it! Your photo of the pampas swaying in the wind is just stunning! And despite the cloudy sunset, I like how moody your sunset photo is! Hope you are enjoying the cooler fall days :D

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  25. Hi there, I am your latest follower as I have really enjoyed your recent posts. I would love to visit Japan one day our daughter has done so and likes your country very much. The pampas grass photos are beautiful.

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  26. So lovely and peaceful . . . I will be back to visit you again!

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  27. I came back from a trip and after that my PC broke down. But new one came.
    As I saw the scene of Soni-kogen by advertisements I was thinking that I would go to there this year. But you brought me there. Thank you! Very beautiful!

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  28. snowwhite さん こんにちわ

    この季節に相応しい、すばらしい場所を発見なされましたね。
    このような壮大な景観は、そうそう見つかるものではありません。

    奈良の季節を感じさせていただきました。

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  29. Such beautiful scenes of the grass. I love the look of your meal also. Is that a sausage I see? The beer looks refreshing but right now I think sake would suit me better since it is cold here for me. Have a wonderful week ahead.

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  30. What beautiful pictures- and what a beautiful place. It looks so restful. Thanks for sharing it with us. (I came here via Dawn Treader).

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  31. I'm passing on a blog award to you. If you want to have a look and perhaps pick it up, you'll find it here.

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  32. These plains seem soft and the color of white bears.

    Beautiful images that you have taken, thank you for show us.

    Best wishes, Beatriz.

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  33. This really looks like silver sea! The views are amazing from the mountain too. The young autumn leaves at Soni village are bright and cheerful!! Soni means beautiful in Hindi...
    Have a wonderful day Keiko:)

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  34. その火鍋はとてもおいしかったですよ。
    私はちょっと食べすぎました〜
    ><

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  35. This is probably the most beautiful grass in the world! So enchanting...

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  36. you are true, they look like a vivid silver!

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Thanks a lot for visiting my blog and leaving warm messages. I will visit your site soon. keiko

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