Shinjuku Gyoen

My mother came to visit us recently so we took her to all the tourist spots between our home and Tokyo. most of the areas were repeat visits for us, but one new area was Shinjuku Gyoen.

After days of temples, amusement parks, and multi-floor shopping we retreated into the quiet and beautiful gardens nestled amid the bustle of one of Tokyo's busiest wards. Shinjuku Gyoen is home to some of the oldest trees in Tokyo and has been a point of horticultural significance since being established as an Imperial garden over a hundred years ago.

The garden is a blend of three garden styles. After walking through rows of cherry trees we were in a French Formal garden. Large paved walkways surrounded low bushes with hundreds of roses in this area.

The next area we walked though was an English Landscape style - large grassy areas broken up by small clusters of trees and low shrubs.

Finally, we found ourselves in a traditional Japanese garden. This area looked like many of the other Japanese gardens we have toured - small, gravel paths with low manicured trees dotting rolling grassy hills.

It was a nice break from all the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. I imagine the cherry blossoms in the spring are beautiful. We may have to schedule a return trip just to see them.

Rice Planting

If you follow my Facebook then you know this post is very delayed. We've had a busy couple of months so I am catching up on the adventure documentation.

A few weeks ago we were given the opportunity to partner with a Japanese organization to plant rice in a small village outside Iwakuni. This annual event was designed to foster a relationship between the Japanese locals and the American base.

We traveled to a very small village nestled between two mountains. The village was once a thriving community with lots of children, but has since dwindled to only two students. We set up camp at a former school turned community center.

We each received name tags that were translated so everyone could read them. The base library also donated shirts so we all matched. After a brief opening ceremony and introductions we walked the few blocks from the school to the rice paddies.

Many of the fields had already been planted so we were able to what the finished product would should look like.

Our field before planting.

Each person was given a small section of rice seedlings. We waded out into the mud in a straight line to prepare our planting.

The fields are filled with mud and then flooded to prevent insects from destroying the seedlings. A knotted rope was strung from end to end and we planted three seedlings at each knot. After planting, we would take a step backwards, the line would be moved and we would plant again. After the first couple of moves the novelty wore off. It really is back-breaking work!

Our finished....very wobbly.... field.

After planting we cleaned up and made our way back to the school. Some Japanese volunteers provided homemade curry and pickled vegetables. It was delicious after the hours spent in the sun. Before returning back to base we spent some time in the school walking through the rooms. Most of our group set up a large, rather rambunctious, game of Duck Duck Goose. It is great fun in any language.

The school is actually two buildings although the older building is not open for walkthroughs. The older building is over 110 years old. The newer building was used up through about five years ago until there weren't enough students in the village to keep it open.

After hours in the sun and a good lunch we were ready for a long nap. Whew! I now understand why not eating all of it in a restaurant is considered rude. Rice planting is tough work!

Cherry Blossoms

Because they really are one of the most beautiful flowers ever.

 

 

And it's not a trip to Kintai without ice cream. I got salt (no surprise there) and Dustin got jalapeno! It had quite an intense kick and I felt like I had hot salt stuck in my throat! BLEH! 



Hanami

Last year I was anti-cherry blossoms (sakura) viewing. I forget why, but I think it was to pressure certain family members to come out here and enjoy them in person. Either way, we enjoyed them on base, but didn't participate in hanami, or "flower viewing."

The Japanese have sakura season down to a science complete with forecast calendars down to the day they will be ready to view. The cherry blossom has a storied past. Because of the stunning beauty and quick death, they are often associated with mortality and death. The flower representation of the samurai for being the first to arrive and the first to die.

In WWII, the sakura was used as propaganda to motivate the Japanese people. Cherry blossom images were often painted on planes or carried by Japanese soldiers on missions.

The image is immortalized on the 100 yen coin. Washington D.C. displays thousands of sakura trees that were gifts over the last century from the Japanese people.

In today's environment hanami is a time of celebration. Families will come together to view the blossoms. Coworkers will take an afternoon off to enjoy the quick-living blossoms. Often hanami celebrations include a picnic.

Recently my office had a hanami party. We brought a potluck picnic to the Kintai park and enjoyed the sakura.

The pictures really do not do the experience justice. The fragrant smell, the encompassing trees, the slight breeze... all make hanami a fantastic experience.



Pressed Flowers

Our hostess is an expert in pressed flowers. All over the pension were framed pictures made entirely of pressed flowers.

So one night she pulled our her supply of pressed flowers and tweezers and we tried to make something.

My "Mt Aso"

So pressed flower arranging is not for us. Just breathing and - POOF - there they go. It was still lots of fun and gives me a whole new respect for people who have the patience for it!

Lotus

The Monzen area of base is where we live and it is seperated from the rest of the base by a river. We cross a long bridge to go anywhere, but at the same time we are closer to getting out the back gate and off base. We like it.

All around us though are lotus fields. Haven't really noticed a fragrance yet, but they are pretty to look at. They are not blooming right now, but I imagine in the spring the view is even better.

Through the fence...