Japanese gardens can be found all over the world. They are a well-known and respected form of landscape architecture that shuns the man-made, borrows from the surrounding scenery, and features the natural materials of rock, sand, water, ocean, fish, flower, and more. Many of the gardens I visited in Japan have existed for centuries.
In the video you can see some examples of Japanese gardens and landscapes. From the iconic Mt. Fuji, the perfectly shaped volcano mountain, to a bamboo forest in Kyoto, landscapes grow tall here. Also, they stay small, as in bonsai plantings and rock gardens, in miniaturized and idealized landscapes. All are part of the traditional Japanese garden.
TIP: For maximum enjoyment, stay at a ryokan that has an outdoor onsen bath. That way, you can bath in the beauty of both the landscape, or “forest (outdoor) bathing,” and the natural geothermic properties of the onsen.
NOTES ON THE VIDEO AND LYRICS
The song is “Angels Floating Down,” and is number 19 from the Boarding House Mysteries series.
Lyrics are written in Byr A Thoddaid poetic form, which is a Welsh quatrain poem with a pattern (PF1) of:
Line 1: xxxxxxxA – eight syllables, last word rhyme A
Line 2: xxxxxxxA – eight syllables, last word rhyme A
Line 3: xxxxxxxCxb – 10 syllables, close to last word (but not the last word) rhyme C; last word b is a rhyme or alliteration linked to the next line
Line 4: xbxxxC – 6 syllables, last word rhyme C; b rhyme/alliteration link from the previous line
Or, alternatively, its pattern (PF2) is:1
Line I: xxxxxxxAxb – like Line 3 above
Line II: xbxxxA – like Line 4 above
Line III and IV: xxxxxxxC – like Lines 1 and 2 above.
I use both in this poem. PF1 patterns are Verse One and Chorus Two. PF2 pattern is Verse Two.
LYRICS TO “Angels Floating Down1”
Verse One:
Love our enemies, turn a cheek
Rip them to shreds then beg for peace
Both sides have motive – a mystery plot
Pot stirred as their pride bleeds
Chorus One:
Angels floating down on my head
Angels floating down on my bed
Verse Two:
Wings fly down to catch victory’s spoils
And scoop up from the sea
Stand around the wise to listen
Stories as brave armors glisten
Chorus Two:
Angels floating down on my head
Angels floating down on my bed
Spirits rise and fly from this place apart
To please vanities of space
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