In every wood in every spring there is a different green

May is the best season of year when we can enjoy the numerous hues of burning green.  

One day I walked a nature trail to Mt. Wakakusa through the Kasuga Primeval Forest of Mt. Kasuga in Nara. Kasuga Grand Shrine is at the foot of Mt.Kasuga.

This is a cozy tea room in an old Japanese style, surrounded with fresh maples.

 Here is the start point of the nature trail.

  On its thatched roof, baby maples are growing.

The extensive forest in Mt.Kasuga is considered sacred, so no one is allowed to cut down the trees or hunt animals. Now this primeval forest nurtures many kinds of plants, animals and insects as a sanctuary for the living beings. The forest was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.

In every wood in every spring there is  a different green.

The sunlight softly slants through the overlapping leaves. The entire forest looks like a natural cathedral with shimmering emerald stained glasses and  graceful canopies. When a breeze blows over the green canopies, flickering sunlight through the  leaves quietly falls on me. I feel as if I were in the bottom of the sea and looking up at the surface of water. What a  pleasant and soothing moment it is!

 This is the top of Mt. Wakakusa,  Mt. Young Grass,  where  "Grass Burning Festival" is held in January every year.

In every wood in every spring there is  a different green.

When I came back to the start, the charming cafe was closed already.

I got to know this words "In every wood in every spring there is a different green."

 ("I sit and Think" by J.R.R.Tolkien, the anthor of  "The Lord of the Rings".) through Professor Sheffner (his blog).  Also last year he left the similar comment  on my blog "Everything is Bathed in Green Breeze, Isui-en Garden". "In every tree, in every wood, there is a different green" (Bilbo Baggins in "Lord of the Rings").

I have been deeply inspired by the words of Tolkien. For me, his words seem to depict the essence of life in spring green and its mysterious energy.  This spring, I visited a several places to find out the green mentioned by Tolkien.  It was somthing like a quest or pilgimiage with no religious meanings. But, I felt it was enough to visit even only Mt. Kasuga and its forest. Every place had its own unique shades of green.