Koishikawa Kōrakuen Garden

Koishikawa Kōrakuen Garden

On June 17, 2017

In Iris, Japan, Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens, Tokyo

My third Wabi-Sabi garden in Tokyo was a visit to the Koishikawa Kōrakuen Garden. I stopped to visit this garden after my visit to the Hakusan Shrine on Friday. Of the three gardens on the list of five that I have visited, this one was my favorite. To start, when I paid my ¥300 entrance fee, the worker offered me a garden map in French first, then English! I was so excited not to be assumed American. Obviously, no one assumes I’m Japanese but, when I’m assumed something besides American, I get a little excited.

The garden was a cool oasis after my walk in the summer sun. I found a shady corner when I arrived and sat for a few minutes to cool down, enjoy the view, and read about the park. The large white thing in the background is the Tokyo Dome. The Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium. Dave and I will attend a baseball game there between the Yomiuri Giants and the Yokohama Baystars at the end of July.

Did you notice the roller coaster? That’s is Thunder Dolphin at Tokyo Dome City assumement park. Thunder Dolphin is 260 feet high and the 8th tallest continuous circuit roller coaster in the world. Who is going to ride that one with me!?!

In the meantime, let’s return to the garden. It has a circular path through the garden with manmade hills and ponds. The largest pond is the center focal point. A majority of the path around the garden was a stone walkway. It made the setting even more beautiful.

The smaller pond at the back of the garden had two small bridges. The city buildings in the background created the perfect wabi-sabi contrast.

I was fortunate to visit this time of the year. The garden had a large area of irises blooming. So many different colors! And I love seeing the Thunder Dolphin in the background!

There was also a small hill that led to an Ume grove (plum trees). The brochure said these bloom in early February. I will need to return!

Another highlight of the garden was the Engetsu-kyo (Full Moon Bridge). When the reflection of the bridge is visible in the water, it creates an illusion of a full moon. Unfortunately, the light wasn’t in my favor today. It was still very beautiful and serene.

In the garden there are also wisteria trellises and a 60 year old weeping cherry. This garden has moved onto the “Julia Tour” when we are in the Bunkyo area of Tokyo. Depending on when you visit, we will see either beautiful fall foliage or happy spring flowers!

Hakusan Shrine

By wabisabisole

On June 16, 2017

In Flowers, Hakusan Shrine, Hydrangeas, Japan, Shrine, Tokyo

The Hakusan Shrine is on the north side of Tokyo and known for beautiful hydrangeas of many different colors.

I saved the location of this Shrine a few weeks ago. I wanted to wait to visit until the hydrangeas were in full bloon. I ventured up today hoping to see amazing hydrangeas. It was about an hour and fifteen minute trip on the train.

I wasn’t disappointed. The hydrangeas were stunning. There was every color imaginable. Purple, pink, blue, and white. With many shades of each.

This blue one was spectacular!

I took several close up pictures so you can see the size of the blossoms and the variety. I tried to pick a favorite. They are just too beautiful to not love them all!

How about this one- what do you see?

When I first took the picture, I saw a heart. Now, I see a butterfly. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder!

The hydrangeas also beautifully decorated the Shrine.

One selfie for good measure.

And maybe a few more hydrangeas.

I know, I’m making it really difficult for you to decide when to visit next spring. It is hard to pick a favorite flower. Maybe you can rest easy knowing if you plan a spring visit, you will see beautiful flowers and gardens regardless of the flower blooming.

Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden

By wabisabisole

On June 7, 2017

In Gardens, Hydrangeas, Japan, Tokyo, Wabi-Sabi

The second garden I was able to visit on my Wabi-Sabi list was the Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden. The garden is located on the south side of Tokyo and only about an hour and fifteen minute train ride.

On my walk from the train station to he garden I was passed several times by the Shinkansen. Seeing the train still makes me happy. I can’t wait to plan another trip!

Also, on my walk to the garden, I passed several beautiful hydrangeas blooming along the street. The hydrangeas alternated blue and purple. They were stunning.

The garden was a bit smaller than the Hamarikyu Garden and again nestled in the middle of the surrounding city. The garden centers around a pond with a designated path to travel around and across the pond.

Along your journey around the pond, there are many beautiful land and rock formations to look at and perhaps contemplate the passing of time.

There was also one beautiful hydrangea blooming in the garden.

As I was walking through the garden, I came across these interesting rock stairs.

Originally, I thought they were just a cute path to follow. While reading the brochure, I realized they were there to simulate a “waterless waterfall.” The intention was to remind visitors of water coming off the mountains and flowing into the pond. Can you see it?

On the far side of the pond was a group of artist painting the garden with watercolors. For every artist you see in this picture, there are two tucked in somewhere else. They obviously found their wabi-sabi.

There were so many different features along the path. I enjoyed the stones and islands.

Can you see the turtles?

A beautiful view! Without a doubt, I was able to experience wabi-sabi in this lovely little garden. When you visit, if we need a quiet break from the hustle and bustle of the city, we can take a detour. It was worth the ¥150.

Hama-rikyu Gardens

By wabisabisole

On June 5, 2017

In Gardens, Google Map, Japan, Tokyo, Wabi-Sabi

Recently, I read an article discussing five different gardens in Tokyo to discover wabi-sabi. I bookmarked the article and added all five of the gardens to my saved places in Google Maps. I found the definition of wabi-sabi used in the article interesting. “To Japanese people, there is a peculiar sense of aesthetics called “Wabi-sabi” where it is key to find the beauty in silence and the passing of time.” Other definitions I have found describe wabi-sabi as finding the beauty in the imperfections and also accepting transience. Accepting the passing of time and change is similar in both these descriptions. I also appreciate the ability to beauty in silence. Each of the gardens listed are located in a Tokyo and surrounded by the city. Visiting Hama-rikyu today, the sights and sounds of the city were all around. Finding a quiet spot in the garden was easy. Many people were enjoying their lunch as I arrived.

A couple things about the Hama-rikyu Gardens makes it very unique. It has a large pond that is fed by seawater from the Tokyo Bay. The pond has several lock gates that are opened and closed with the rise and fall of the tides of the Tokyo Bay. This creates a tidal affect within the pond.

The other unique thing about the garden were the two Kamoba or Duck hunting sites. They were both built in the late 1700s. The sites consisted of a large pond used to attract the ducks.

The hunters would lure the ducks into the pond with grasses and domesticated ducks while they hid in deep trenches.

Another hunter would stand watch in a wooden shack and watch the pond.

I took this picture looking out the peep holes in the hunting shack out over the pond.

On cue, someone would make a loud noise or distraction causing the ducks to take flight. The hunters would catch the ducks with long nets! Here was the sign that accompanied the explanation.

In true Japanese kindness, there is now a shrine dedicated to the ducks who were hunted.

The main pond of the garden was beautiful. The view of the Tokyo skyline provided a dynamic contrast with the natural setting of the garden.

There were a couple iris gardens blooming and one hydrangea bush in full bloom. The rest of the hydrangeas were not quite blooming yet.

Another notable mention within the garden was the 300 year old pine tree. It was gigantic and well supported with numerous wood braces and stantions.

The O-tsutai-bashi is the 118m long bridge over the center of the lake was renovated in 2012. The wisteria trellis are beautiful and make me want to visit again next spring to see them in bloom!

The garden did help me find my own definition of wabi-sabi. The way the garden was nestled in with so many city skyscrapers helped me to see and appreciate the beauty of nature and industry. Simultaneously, the city sounds of construction work, trains, and traffic helped me to experience and be settled with time passing. It was an enjoyable adventure to discover a beautiful garden in an urban environment with the intentions of experiencing wabi-sabi.

Train Stamps

By wabisabisole

On June 4, 2017

In Eki Stamps, Hiroshima, Japan, Tokyo, Train, Train Stamps

About six weeks ago, my friend Sonia told me about the Eki stamp. Eki means train in Japanese. An article she shared with me, discussed how each of the 9,161 trains stations in Japan each have their own unique stamp. The station stamps usually feature a picture of a local attraction. The stamps are free and fun way to document your travels around Japan. The article also pictured a Eki stamp book. Dina and I searched for about a month to find them and when we did, we bought one for us and Sonia. A cute and inexpensive (¥600) book to fill with stamps!

Since finding the books, we have been diligently working on collecting stamps. We collected several on May 17th when we went to visit the Kyu-Furukawa Gardens in Tokyo. The first stamp we found was at the Kami-Nakazato Station in Tokyo. It pictures the house at the Kyu-Furukawa Gardens.

The JR trains have a series of 77 stamps to collect. I took a picture of the sign of the different stamps to help us on our Eki stamping scavenger hunt!

As we traveled home, we stopped at several extra stations just to hunt for stamps. And I must stress – hunt. The stamps are not always easy to find. We have learned they are typically located near the “Central Exit” of the station. This is key because many of the larger stations have multiple exits.

Ueno Station alone had four stamps! And no, they were not all in the same location.

Here is a picture of the map in the station to help you find the other stamps.

We stopped in Tokyo, Kanda, and Shinagawa station. Each of these stamps were relatively easy to find now that we knew to look for the sign around the Central Exit.

Perhaps the most tricky was Yokohama Station. We walked around for several minutes before asking at the ticket center. We were directed to the train office. It was down a side hallway and around the corner. But, we found it!

The extra fun part about the stamps is that they are not just limited to trains stations. They are also available at many parks – Jogashima Island Park.

Dave and I were able to collect several during our trip last weekend to Hiroshima. The Shinkansen, Hiroshima Castle, and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

We found them of course at the JR Station in Hiroshima.

And even at the Shukkei-en Garden, Tsuruhane Shrine, and Toshugu Shrine in Hiroshima.

This past week, Dina and I went over to Hase Station in Kamakura and discovered another series for the Endoshima Line.

I am planning on buying several the next time I find them at a store. I want you to have one when you visit. I think it will be a fun way for you to document where you/we went around Japan. Especially, if you are coming with a kid or two in tow.

Roses are Red

By wabisabisole

On May 17, 2017

In Flowers, Friendship, Japan, Kyu-Furukawa Gardens, Tokyo, Train

Roses are starting to bloom all over Japan. Through my research, I found a small out of the way western rose garden in Tokyo. The Kyu-Furukawa Gardens on the north side of Tokyo. It was a trek on the train, about an hour and 20 minutes. I asked my kindred flower chasing spirit, Dina, if she was interested in going with me. And off we went! Having Dina to explore Japan with is a highlight. I find little out of the way places and ask if she wants to go with me and 97% of the time the answer is – yes! Today, we went to Tokyo for roses!

The western-style house was designed in the early 1900s by a British architect. The gardens were designed by a Japanese architect from Kyoto around the same time. It was designated as a Place of Scenic Beauty of Japan on January 26, 2006. Looking at the pictures, the British influence is apparent in the building and the Japanese influence is apparent in the gardens.

The roses were spectacular! Every color and size. I took a couple pictures with my hand for perspective.

I want to provide you with a true picture of the gardens. A picture or two with all the people! The bottom picture is the rose maze. Keep in mind, this was on a cloudy random Wednesday!

By playing with the angle, I could capture people free pictures and a selfie!

The rest of the gardens were so green, lush, and beautiful. They also had a definitive Japanese flair. The focal pieces were large stone lanterns, a stone pagoda, a dry river bed, and a waterfall.

The “wild stone wall” had us both laughing! Use cation, these rocks aren’t domesticated.

The only thing I couldn’t capture today was the intoxicating scent of the roses. I guess we need to make our smart phones a little smarter to capture odors! Or maybe not…

I decided it is my duty to taste as many soft cream flavors as possible as I explore Japan. Today, I enjoyed salted rose. It moved up to number 1!

One last picture of a fluttery friend I attempted to photograph. Please, slow down!

Tomorrow I will tell you all about our train stamping adventures!

On a More Important Note

By wabisabisole

On May 4, 2017

In Captain, Doki Doki, Japan, Tokyo

Sonia and I went on an ITT trip to the Doki Doki Flea Market located on the east side of Tokyo. Here was our route.

Shockingly, traffic was a breeze both coming and going. The Flea Market opened at 10am. Here was the line to enter.

Here was the crowd as we walked in!

The Doki Doki was like a giant garage sale. I was hoping for lots of Japanese antiques. Nope. Not at all. Only thing I bought was lunch. Pizza and a beer from Uncle Ken’s bus with a built in brick oven.

I don’t plan on returning next year. I don’t suggest you go either. Unless, you need bride and groom bunnies or cats. This picture summarizes the items for sale.

On a more important note, we found out in the middle of the night that Dave was selected to promote to the rank of Captain! I am so proud of all his hard work over the past 32+ years of his Naval career. He is dedicated to excellence and an inspiration to so many. Congratulations, my love. I love you and I’m so proud of you!

His work surprised him with a cake and balloons!

Nezu Shrine

By wabisabisole

On May 3, 2017

In Azalea, Golden Week, Google Map, Japan, Nezu Shrine, Tokyo, Train

The Nezu Shrine is in the north central part of Tokyo. It was founded in 1705 and is famous for the Azalea Festival. The Azalea Festival is held from mid-April through the end of Golden Week (first week of May). I almost let this Festival slip past me.

Dina and I went up on Wednesday to see the Shrine, azaleas, and the Festival. Google Maps gave us our route to the Shrine (1.5 hours). However, we were assuming because of Golden Week, the 30-minute delay was caused by “extra passenger load” – our trip actually took 2 hours. Dina had the patience of a saint with me today!

The Shrine was very large and had a large garden full of azaleas. Unfortunately, most had already bloomed. Only a few blossoms remained. I will need to visit earlier next year to truly experience the azalea splendor. Here are a few pictures of the azaleas and the surrounding gardens.

Remember how I mentioned this is Golden Week? Looking at those pictures, you might be wondering, “where are all the crowds?” Oh, trust me. They were there. Here are several of the same pictures at different angles to include the crowds.

There were so many people!! Dina was very patient with me as I waited for the perfect shot. There was a long row of Torii gates I wanted to photograph without people. We waited… and waited. Eventually, I was able to take a people free shot. Or mostly, anyways.

Sometimes, the right person or people in a photo make it much better! Notice how short the Torii gate were! We are hitting our heads! We had to duck the entire way!!

Just in case you’re not convinced how short the gates were – Dina snapped this picture of me ducking through the gates! Ha!

I took a few close up pictures of the remaining azalea blooms.

We were able to get a stamp in our Temple Books. After waiting in line for 30 minutes… like I already mentioned, Dina was super patient!

The other interesting thing to note, was how despite not having blooms, the azaleas looked lovely. My friend, Sara and I joke about how ugly azaleas are after they finish blooming. This is what we are accustomed to seeing. Dead brown and past their prime blooms.

Apparently, not the case in Japan. Dina and I are convinced they cleaned off the dead blossoms daily because the shrubs without blooms were green.

I must also mention the Festival. It was mostly food vendors. So many interesting and unique foods on a stick! Bananas, meats, corn, and more bananas.

Or maybe you want salty nuts and dried fruits?

Maybe squid!

Or perhaps octopus balls. Three different octopus ball vendors. They are actually very delicious and tasted great washed down with a chu-hai.

Or mystery meat? Or mochi? Or noodle tacos with an egg on top?

Whatever Japanese street vendor you were searching for, you would be able to find and eat until your heart was content!

Kameido Tenjin Shrine

By wabisabisole

On April 26, 2017

In Chu-Hai, Google Map, Japan, Kameido Tenjin Shrine, Tokyo, Tokyo Skytree, Train, Wisteria

Spring in Japan means one blooming session after another. Right now, the wisteria is about to reach full bloom. Having a free day, with no adulting obligations, I decided to travel to Tokyo and visit the Kameido Tenjin Shrine to view the wisteria. It was a schlep, 1.5 hours one way. Far enough for me not to impose the trip on my husband or friends. Here was my route.

The Shrine is located near the Tokyo Skytree. It provided a delightful backdrop to several pictures.

I wish I could share the scent of the wisteria with you. It might be the one thing I will never have much luck sharing with you. It was truly delightful.

I decided to venture up today because next week is Golden Week. I’ll tell you more about the meaning of Golden Week later. For now, it means Japanese holiday and lots of crowds. I was glad to have smaller crowds today. Occasionally, I was able to snap a picture without people. First, a few of the crowds.

Flying solo, I could take my time and wait for the perfect shot. And I did. I waited and I was totally ok with it. Because the shots were worth it. Here are my favorites. The red bridge is in most of them – #becausejapan

Have you noticed the structures supporting the wisteria? Some are wood others are artificial. All are strong.

According to my research, Kameido Tenjin Shrine was founded in the 1660s to honor the memory of the ninth-century scholar, Sugawara no Michizane. The temple was just as beautiful as the wisteria.

While at the temple, I enjoyed my own miniature hanami. Japanese yam and a chu-hai. Life is as sweet as these roasted yams with sugary topping.

When you’re planning your springtime visit, we will see as many flowers as possible. You will need to be willing to travel. As my friend Jen reminded me, seeing stuff requires a little bit of effort. Just a few more pictures….

It truly was an amazing experience and worth the travel. I’m ranking this temple in my top five “seasonal” temples.

Sole Adventures-Tokyo Marathon

By wabisabisole

On February 26, 2017

In 2017, Hello Kitty, Japan, Mt. Fuji, Running, Tangerine, Tokyo, Tokyo Marathon

Tokyo Marathon 2017 set the bar high with respect to race amenities and organization.

Before I get into how amazing it was, let’s start with a picture of Dave and me in our corral G waiting for the start.

We had about an hour to kill, so we took a couple other pictures. A selfie of us and one of Hello Kitty.

I couldn’t pass up a picture of Hello Kitty with Mt. Fuji. Kawaii!

Now onto the details of the race. Going through security was painless. We could see the start line from our hotel room and also Mt. Fuji if you look closely into the haze.

Security opened at 7am. There were approximately 36,000 runners and I knew it would be best to be ahead of the crowds. We left our room at 7:15. I expected it would take us about an hour to get out of the hotel (slow elevators from the 28th floor), walk to our Gate, pass through security, use the restroom and then finally make our way to our start corral. Actually it only took us about 45 minutes. Being early and ahead of the crowd helped.

The race started promptly at 9:10. We were passing the start line about 8 minutes later. Again, I expected 9:20ish.

After we started, I put my phone away. Sorry, no more pictures. I took off the case and was worried I would drop it and there were so many people I was worried I would trip fooling around with it.

Here are some highlights. Being dressed at Hello Kitty made the race a blast. Running on the outside, near the spectators, drew lots of “kawaii” and “Hello Kitty” comments. I would wave and smile. I felt like a celebrity. Simultaneously, by mile six, I was getting tired of waving. Haha. I made Dave move us over to the middle!

The amount of spectators was unreal. They were literally lining the streets the entire way! They were cheering and had a variety of different noise makers. Surprisingly, we never heard any cowbell!

The aid stations were every 2-3km. Yes, the entire race was measured in kilometers. Pathetically, we enjoyed doing the math to convert the kilometers to miles to help pass the time. ? Every aid station had water and every other station had Pocari Sweat, the Japanese equivalent to Gatorade. After the halfway point, certain aid stations had bananas, tangerines, tomatoes, and a bread with something in it. I thought it was bean paste. Dave tried the bread and said no, it was chocolate! He also enjoyed several free candies and chocolates from spectators. I stuck with my three honey stingers and a half of tangerine around 32km or mile 20. The last thing I thought my intestines would tolerate was chocolate. I was a little bit disappointed there were no rice balls. I had heard through the grapevine that rice balls were offered. Nope. Let me just squelch that rumor!

That pretty much covers everything. As I mentioned, the experience was wonderful. So wonderful in fact, we both agreed that was our LAST full marathon. We don’t need to do another. Ever. Half marathons from here on out. As we were enjoying our Sushi celebration dinner I asked Dave if he would rather climb Mt. Fuji or run another marathon. His response, “I’ve done both in 6 months, I’m good.” Simultaneously, he said, he was ready to run Key West Half Marathon anytime!! I couldn’t agree more!

Thank you for all of the FB cheers, messages, and blog comments. Your support and love was felt by us both halfway around the world.

To finish lines! Kanpie!

Finding Beauty with Imperfection

Category: Tokyo Page 4 of 6