Posted in Gardens, Nature, Tokyo on Jun 15th, 2008 3 Comments »
One year in June I wanted to see irises in bloom - Japan’s famous shobu, sung about in poetry and depicted in paintings and ukiyo-e. I opted for Horikiri Shobuen in the northern part of Tokyo, in what proved to be an eyesore neighborhood, but when I finally reached the garden, I felt happy seeing […]
Posted in Gardens, Kyoto, Nature, Temples on Apr 3rd, 2008 No Comments »
[Weeping cherry in the Kamigamo Shrine, Kyoto. Photo © Ad Blankestijn]
This magnificent weeping cherry (shidare-zakura) called “Gosho-zakura” stands in the grounds of the Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto. When I saw it last Monday, it was almost fully in bloom, so this week you can still enjoy it!
Read more about the Kamigamo Shrine in my […]
Posted in Festivals, Gardens, Japan, Kyoto, Nature, Tokyo on Mar 26th, 2008 1 Comment »
What is this year’s sakura timetable? You will find the best English guide here, at the Japan Metereological Agency!
But don’t leave just yet, as here are some more interesting sakura links:
Stories from Japan Navigator:
Sakura, sakura - some literary associations from the cherry front
One of the best sakura viewing spots in Kyoto: Nishiyama
An even better […]
Posted in Gardens, Osaka, Travel on Mar 18th, 2008 No Comments »
This year I have been writing about various plum blossom viewing possibilities in Tokyo, but until yesterday I did not yet have a chance to see the plum blossoms of Osaka.
[Plum Garden of Osaka Castle]
Yesterday in balmy weather I grasped my lunch-break chance to see the plum blossoms in the park of Osaka Castle. […]
Posted in Book, Gardens, Nature, Review, Tokyo on Mar 5th, 2008 No Comments »
Tokyo and flowers - that may not be the first association springing up in your mind when thinking about the Japanese metropolis. The metropolitan government seems to be in the race to cover every square inch of the city with concrete before, say, the year 2010. In some places, the houses and flats have been […]
Posted in Festivals, Gardens, Museums, Nature, Tokyo, Travel on Mar 1st, 2008 2 Comments »
I have given you directions to the plum groves of Ogose, deep in Saitama and a long haul from Tokyo. But there is another great (or even greater) plum viewing area much closer to the metropolis: the Yoshino Baigo Park in Ome, which is part of Tokyo itself.
[Yoshino Baigo, Ome. Photo © Ad Blankestijn]
Ome […]
Posted in Gardens, Museums, Nature on Feb 20th, 2008 No Comments »
Thanks to its balmy climate (and the fumes from its hot springs), the plum trees in Atami are among the first to bloom in the wider Tokyo area. So for early flowering trees visit this resort town and after tearing yourself loose from the steaming baths, head for the area just west of the town […]
Posted in Art, Gardens, Kyoto, Temples, Travel on Nov 24th, 2007 No Comments »
Our walk through the Nishi Otani Cemetery was undertaken to avoid the holiday crowds on Gojozaka and Kiyomizuzaka, but it was in fact Kiyomizudera we were headed for. For many years, I had wanted to see the exquisite garden of its priest’s residence, Jojuin – only open for a few weeks in spring and autumn.
[Crowds […]
Posted in Gardens, Review on Nov 3rd, 2007 No Comments »
The modern garden of the Tofukuji Hojo, with its characteristic checkerboard pattern of tiles in deep green moss, has always been one of my favorites and I am not alone in this, as it graces countless books about the Japanese garden. I knew that it had been designed by Shigemori Mirei, but I did not […]
Posted in Gardens, Kyoto, Temples on Apr 23rd, 2007 1 Comment »
Look here for a sakura (cherry blossom) timetable!
Although now most flowers are gone, last weekend (April 14-15) there were still some beautiful sakura left in Kyoto. After having seen the “Kansetsu sakura” of the Philosopher’s Path (planted by the wife of nihonga painter Hashimoto Kansetsu, in the memory of her husband) and the famous trees […]
Posted in Gardens, Kyoto on Apr 9th, 2007 No Comments »
Look here for a sakura (cherry blossom) timetable!
In contrast to Tetsugaku no Michi, which I strangely ignored, I did mention Arashiyama as a cherryblossom viewing spot in my article on the sakura front a few weeks ago. But I somewhat hesitated to go there, fearing a terrible mass of people. Well, I went there […]
Posted in Gardens, Travel on Apr 5th, 2007 No Comments »
Look here for a sakura (cherry blossom) timetable!
One of the most famous places for seeing cherryblossoms in Osaka is the Mint, or Zoheikyoku, which features a long lane where rare cherry trees form a veritable tunnel of blossoms.
[Photo © Ad Blankestijn]
As the branches hang down low, the flowers are surprisingly closeby.
[Photo © Ad Blankestijn]
There are […]
Posted in Gardens on Mar 26th, 2007 No Comments »
Yesterday I showed you a rather miserly sakura tree from Kobe - here is a much better one I saw today in the grounds of Osaka Castle, near the Nishinomaru Park. Unfortunately, it was the only one and it was surrounded by people taking its picture with their mobile cameras!
[Photo © Ad Blankestijn]
Posted in Gardens, Travel on Mar 26th, 2007 No Comments »
The best Japanese-style garden in Kobe is Sorakuen, established by a former mayor of the city, Mr Kodera. It is a typical stroll garden with a central pond, but characteristic and not wholly traditional are the huge sotetsu trees standing along the path that leads into the garden - sotetsu are tropical trees, in English […]
Posted in Gardens, Travel on Mar 8th, 2007 No Comments »
Last week the ume (often translated as plum blossoms, but in fact closer to the apricot) in the park of Osaka castle were in full bloom.
[Photo © Ad Blankestijn]
Before the sakura (cherry blossoms) became popular, in medieval times, the ume ruled supreme on the flowery firmament in Japan, as it did and still does in […]
Posted in Gardens, Kyoto, Temples on Jan 7th, 2007 No Comments »
“Let us sit down quietly and contemplate this garden of sand and stones,” starts the pamphlet handed out by Ryoanji. Unfortunately, nothing could be more difficult. This small temple with its exquisite stone garden, is daily overrun by hordes of tourists. Whole schools, cohorts of kids in sailor’s uniforms, march over the poor wooden floors. […]
Posted in Gardens, Kyoto, Temples, Writing on Dec 6th, 2006 No Comments »
One of Kyoto’s most magic places stands in the northwestern part of the city, hidden behind an unobtrusive gateway.
Fifty years ago still countryside, now this has squarely become part of the city. But Shisendo, the Hall of the Poetry Immortals, is in itself contained, a form shut off from its surroundings by tall trees, in […]
Posted in Gardens, Writing on Oct 28th, 2006 No Comments »
Seen from the city, Higashi-Mukojima, the site of the Hyakkaen Garden, lies on the opposite bank of the Sumida River, something which is also expressed in the name ‘Mukojima,’ which means ‘Yonder Isle,’ or ‘Island on the Other Side of the Sumida.’ The garden was laid out on fertile land along the river’s bank. It […]
Posted in Gardens, Travel on Oct 17th, 2006 No Comments »
What is a nicer place for a quiet, meditative stroll than a graveyard? Reading the stones, thinking about the transcience of life… In Tokyo, there is an added incentive: some cemeteries have beautiful old trees, while others are graced by cherry trees that create a pink riot in spring. In other words, Tokyo’s graveyards are […]
Posted in Gardens, Kyoto, Temples, Travel on Oct 8th, 2006 2 Comments »
The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, or Kinkakuji,at the foot of the hills that form Kyoto’s northern periphery, is Japan’s most famous piece of architecture. The gold that covers the two upper stories, also on the outside, is responsible for its popular appeal. Kinkakuji lies squarely on the tourist trail, and is an exotic natural […]
Posted in Gardens, Temples on Aug 22nd, 2006 No Comments »
Daichiji is one of those great Shiga prefecture temples, that lie far from the beaten track and offer their own private universe. The difficulty of getting there is fully rewarded by the experience. On a hot summer day, cicadas shrilling around us, we visit the Horai or Paradise Garden of Daichiji to see the ship […]
Posted in Gardens, Travel on Aug 11th, 2006 1 Comment »
Kokoen, ‘The Garden of Love for Antiquity’ is not very antique itself as it was only built in 1992. It is, however, a pleasant group of gardens (in fact there are nine), laid out on the spot where once the Nishi-Oyashiki (the West Mansion) of Himeji Castle stood. The gardens are enclosed in white washed […]
Posted in Gardens, Temples on Aug 2nd, 2006 No Comments »
Entsuji, in the northern part of Kyoto, is a prime example of one of the major techniques of the Japanese art of the garden: shakkei, or ‘borrowed scenery.’ This means in short that the view is incorporated into the garden. In Entsuji’s case, distant Mt. Hiei is cleverly captured, thereby making the small garden more […]
Posted in Gardens, Temples on Jul 30th, 2006 No Comments »
In Takagamine, in the quiet northern part of Kyoto, stands Koetsuji, famous for a fence of bamboo designed by the artist Hon’ami Koetsu. It is more an explosion of green than a temple, particularly when we visit in the hottest and wettest month of the year, August. After a shower, the smell of earth and […]
Posted in Gardens on Jul 29th, 2006 No Comments »
Kanazawa, the historical town in Ishikawa prefecture, boasts two superb gardens. One is famous and public, the other private and much less well-known. One is bright and open, the other dark and secluded. The first one is the famous Kenrokuen, one of Japan’s daimyo gardens; lesser-known Gyokusenen is the other one. A visit to both […]
