Autumn in Tokyo

Just spent a morning wandering around in this beautiful park.  The colours are so fantastic at this time and today is a holiday so there were many Japanese visitors too - and it rained!

Rikugien Garden (Near to Ikebukero and Kyu Furukawa Garden)

This garden is a typical "kai-yu" ("walk-around") style garden. The thirty and sixty minute walking courses will take you round the pond, up Mount Fujishiro which is a miniature mountain, past Garyuseki Rock which represents a dragon, and past Horai-jima island which is shaped like a turtle. The garden dates back to 1695; it took 7 years to build and throughout history it has been described in many Japanese "waka" (31 syllable) poems.

Hakone

I really should have written this before the last one - but you know how it is, sometimes there is a gap in inspiration and action!

At half term in October we got away from the city for a few days.  I was busy with a course so could not leave town for very long but we decided to make the best of it - and we did!  We stayed in the Hyatt in Hakone - a beautiful, small, exclusive hotel set in the mountains and foothills of Fuji- san.  We had the most fabulous suite with a view of Fuji san right outside the big picture windows - when the clouds weren't there!  The weather was OK - not too wet and quite chilly so we enjoyed the smell of woods and rain and crisp, clean mountain air.  The hotel itself resembled a Swiss ski lodge - all natural woods and pale colours - stunning.  The added bonus was an onsen (bath) that drew water from the volcanic ground underneath at a temperature of 40C.  There is a ritual around Japanese onsen (more on that at another time) but suffice to say it is a hugely relaxing experience and one that became quite addictive!

On our first day we took a short walk form the hotel to a little train to catch a cable car to catch a boat!  It was amazing.  The cable car dangles over sulphurous springs and volcanic landscape with a fine view of Lake Ashi as you approach your destination, Togendai.  The silence of a cable car and the eerieness of floating above a primordial landscape was unbelievably relaxing and totally absorbing. The arrival at Lake Ashi was something of surprise - we were greeted by the sight of pirate ships that plough their way across the lake!  Hmm, we thought, but we did it anyway!  To be greeted by a pirate on board demanding to have a photo taken was an interesting start to the cruise but I think Dave's short, but courteous, "No thank you" did the job - he didn't bother us again!  (She fails to mention that she did actually agree to it but felt very silly!)

Waiting to board the boat was an interesting experience.  There were many Japanese there, doing what we were doing.  This is an area of outstanding natural beauty and the Japanese are big into nature - they love it and find it very spiritual (well, if you live in Tokyo, it is the perfect antedote).  So, queuing then.  Dave, at 6 feet 2 inches, was quite literally, head and shoulders taller than all of those around us. They could not help but stare at him;  and stare they did.  We do not get this in Tokyo but it did remind us of our time in China - we were very used to being the centre of attention there!

Day two of our short trip was equally fascinating.  In the wilds of the Hakone area we found the most amazing open air art museum with the biggest collection of Picasso I have ever seen.  We had intended to pop in, do the tour and then push off to Odawara for the rest of the day.  No way!  We were there all day and could so easily return.  The photos say it all.

Sulphurous Springs

Pirate Ship - "Ahoy, me 'arties!!"

View from Lake Ashi

Fuji san himself

Art Museum - fabulous place

Ladies in Kimono

Travelling around Tokyo on the Yamanote Line today (a bit like the Circle line, but above ground all the way), I noticed three older ladies dressed in the most beautiful kimono, complete with the kimono coat (the temperature is low today) and those flip flop type shoes that are oh so difficult to walk in.  These ladies were obviously on their way to some rather formal occasion - perhaps to the Shrine to remember a loved one and pay their respects to the spirits; or it may simply have been a birthday lunch for a friend or a concert.  The juxtaposition of such traditional dress and the modern mayhem of Shinagawa Station struck me as a real conflict of ideas.  The kimono shoes are built to support the weight of the obi and therefore throw the wearer forwards on their toes.  The flip flop design means you can't move very quickly and the kimono itself means that you can't take huge strides;  you have to tip toe and shuffle along in a very feminine and humble way.  Shinagawa by contrast was bustling, with people dashing from one platform to another, from one train to a bus or taxi and all at a rate of knots.  Japan, I thought, is an island of contrasts.