Carps in a soft rain: Tsurugaoka-hachimangu (Kamakura)

Spring is gradually approaching.

Carps feel a subtle rise in temperature acutely and come up to the surface.

A thin sprinkle of rain is gently falling to create countless round ripples on the smooth water of the pond.

Carps and maple leaves in Nanzen-ji (Kyoto)

The season of splendid colors has gone away at last, leaving behind the lingering trace of vivid autumnal tints on the quiet surface of the pond.

The cold stillness of winter begins to dominate over the gardens of Zen steadily.

Beneath the waveless surface of water, which reflected the ash-colored clouds and the gloomy afternoon sky, the gold and silver carps were gently swimming around as if to know the arrival of a harsh winter and the coming of feathery snow.