The Trees of Kenroku: Leaves Change With RL Seasons

Iris Ophelia's multi-language request for international fashion tips is turning up unexpected discoveries.  Shortly after she posted it, someone sent me a landmark to Kenroku, an island of marvels, with a Japanese castle by the shore, and a park forest of deep shadow on the other side of a stone bridge.  (SLURL teleport to Kenroku at this link.) Due to the language barrier, the developers evidently mistook Iris' search for international creations of all kind, and Ophelia for Hamlet.  Which is how I wound up talking at 1am to a small bear.  I was introduced to her by a well-armed man with a crutch and eyes which occasionally popped out of their sockets like inflated balloons.

"Kenroku created by Brue Noel, alone," Jets Fride announced with evident pride, after he'd put his eyeballs back in place. "She is genius."

"Good job for a little bear!" I observed.

Jets just laughed. "Bear?  She is seed."

"My face is seed," Brue explained, somewhat helpfully.

The pride of Kenroku from my perspective are their trees, which Brue built with only two to nine prims each, depending on variety (cherry blossom, broadleaf, and others.)  This is impressive in itself, but the clincher is that their leaves change to reflect the four seasons-- and that they've been scripted to do so in time to Japan's real seasons.  (To show the leaves turning color for me, they manually overrode their internal clocks.)

Kenroku park set to Fall

Members of a Japanese development studio, they originally designed Kenroku as a site for live music and other events, but visitors kept talking about the trees.

"Many people call IM to Brue about SELL! the Tree!" Jets explains.  "At the first we dont think selling trees."  Now they do, offering an inward sign of Japan's yearly cycle for an economical L$1000 to L$4000.  But even if a mixed reality arboretum is not in your budget, a stroll through Kenroku is highly recommended, if only as yet another demonstration of Japan's quiet but incessant mastery of Second Life creative culture.  Even if you need to learn about it through a misplaced message and a late night chat with a walking seed.

Comments

[Laetizia Coronet]

You could do with some stringers with language skills, Hamlet. No, I am not looking for a job :-)

My face is seed, possibly: face = head, seed = where things start.
But your guess is as good as mine.

[Vine Pichot]

Nope - her face is, indeed, a seed. Note that it is sprouting.

[Laetizia Coronet]

Yeah, someone called Vine would notice that :D

[Yuriko Muromachi]

Oh wow...I'm putting this place as next places to visit.. :D