First up was a return to Ueno Park, where I was able to see so many sakura last night. They were much more visible to the camera in the daytime, as you'll see below. The place was already hopping at 9:30 AM, with large groups of people already sitting around and drinking saki on the stakes they'd claimed. Everyone comes out with big tarps to put on the ground so they don't have to sit on the asphalt. The weather was overcast, so not much color to be seen in the pictures.
A big downside to Ueno Park - because it's a park, and because they know lots of people are going to come out for hanami (cherry blossom viewing), there are vendors covering every foot of space at the edges of the paths. Great for the revelers, not so great for someone walking around trying to take pictures. Things were so crowded, I wasn't able to get too close to the pagoda at Toshogu Shrine. I did get some pictures, but I was severely limited by the density of vendors.
Next up at Rieko's suggestion, was a trip to the southwestern precinct of Shinjuku, to see the Shinjuku Gyoen National Gardens. Now this was more like it. There were plenty of people out for hanami, but there were no vendors at all. As luck would have it, the weather was clearing up nicely as I arrived, guaranteeing bright sun and blue skies for just about all of my pictures. And it was hot! I'd guesstimate at least 80 degrees. There was a nice breeze, though.
There were sakura in bloom at every turn. And I do mean every turn. I concentrated on the Traditional Japanese Garden area, which turned out to be a good choice. The word "picturesque" doesn't begin to describe it. Every five steps, there was something else that set up perfectly for a picture. And I didn't hesitate - I shot about 120 pictures in these gardens alone. I think these are some of the best shots I've taken over here.
After the gardens, I headed to Shibuya to play a little bit of pachinko. This was the test to see if I had been lucky the other day, or if I really have a talent for the game. I didn't find the same place where I'd first tried pachinko, but I found another place that looked good. I played the same game I'd tried the other day - "Star Wars Fever." Ten bucks in, 200 bucks out. Then I went completely cold, and quit. I walked around for 20 minutes and found the place where I'd played before, and tried the same game there - 20 bucks in, zero bucks out, outta there. That convinced me that I'd been ridiculously lucky my first time out. Even though I was doing the same things that had worked so well when I was winning, I couldn't get anything happening. So, a pretty good overall result. $40 invested, $740 won. And no illusions about quitting the real estate business and coming over here to become a "pachi-pro," a person who makes $1,000 a day playing pachinko.
To cap off the day, I met up with Rieko to go to the Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo to view a special Van Gogh exhibition. It placed about 30 of his paintings among books and paintings by his contemporaries to provide historical context. There were many paintings I wasn't familiar with, but all were a thrill. Among the more famliiar ones were "Cafe Terrace at Night," one of his self-portraits (with him wearing a blue jacket), one of the sunflower paintings, and one of the late works with cedar trees in the fields.
After the museum, we headed back to the Japanese Pub near my hotel to have dinner and look back on the things we did together during my time here. Rieko has been an invaluable source of information, a lot of fun, and a great friend. I might have had as successful a visit without her, but being able to spend a few days and many evenings with her was a blast. It's always a lot more fun to do things with a friend.
Unfortunately, due to time constraints, the pictures from today won't be posted until I'm back in Knoxville. I'll probably work on it Saturday while I'm watching the Masters. The last section of the website, "Recap & Reflections," will probably take me a few days to organize. In addition to summing up the things I did and places I saw in Japan, I'd like to spend some time talking about what all of it means. It'll take a while to figure that out and put it into something readable. It'll also be a good spot for random observations - things I saw over here that are indicative of the culture, or that just struck me as funny or weird.
I'll send out email when the pictures are up, and again when the recap is done and posted.
Thanks to everyone who has sent email with comments on the site - it's good to know that people are actually reading it!
Now comes the saddest part of any vacation - time to pack and head off to the airport. It still feels like I got here a couple of days ago.
