Rikugien
Sachi and I visited a nice park a few stations down from where we like. The park, Rikugien, was created in 1695 and donated to Tokyo City in 1938. It costs ¥300 to get in.
A lot of people were taking photos of the trees showing their autumn colors; there were some really beautiful sights in the park. A few of the pictures below have 1000-pixel blow-ups if you click on them.
| There were a lot of people at the park today. Probably this was due to the day being the start of a 3-day holiday weekend, along with some sort of evening “light up the park” festival, which Sachi and I did not stick around for. |
| There were several tea houses in the park; you could buy some tea, and sit and enjoy the view. |
| I like this one. The sun was setting behind the trees, and made it look like a fire was burning behind them. |
| This bush is called “Murasaki Shikibu,” in part after the famous author of “The Tale of Genji,” and in part because “murasaki” is Japanese for “purple.” |
| This single branch stood out, as it alone in the whole area was lit by sunlight. |
| Birdwatching at the park was not bad, though all the birds were regulars, including tons of Bulbuls and Crows. There were the usual Spot-billeds along with Tufted Ducks and a few Common Pochards like this one. |
| Sachi and I sat not far from a small water source, and enjoyed this Great Tit coming to drink. |
| Just as we were leaving, we heard movement in the brush, and I caught this Black-faced Bunting foraging on the ground, as they are apt to do. |
All in all, a lovely day. But on our way 2-mile stroll home, we ran across a small local festival, and decided to enjoy the length of it. These are always linear deals, with stalls lining the length of the festival, often repeating. Sachi and I bought a steak shish-kabob (okay but too fatty/gristly), and a small bag of “baby castella,” little bite-sized pound-cake style goodies cooked in a waffle-like grill (tasty!).
| Why do those Near Eastern guys always have stands with those huge spits of meat? |
| Very realistic toy guns are popular with some Japanese; these were sandwiched between video game cartridges. |
| Umm, okay. |
| The actual shrine the festival was based upon. |
These photos make me want to visit japan…
drooling!