Next up was a trip to see some formal Japanese gardens. We've all seen pictures of European formal gardens, with strict geometric shapes and straight lines of trees. A Japanese garden strives for something different from that kind of order. The guiding philosophy is to present nature, perfected. So the trees and shrubs are arranged in a very natural setting, usually with a pond in the middle. But every one of those trees and shrubs is carefully formed to achieve a particular aesthetic. Shrubs are often pruned to be pillow-shaped, like stones at the edge of a stream would be worn smooth by the passing water. And the limbs of the trees are trained into specific shapes, to allow their greenery to stand out as discrete parts of the whole. That's a lot of words to describe something that will be obvious when you look at the pictures below.
I went first to Rikugien Gardens, in a fairly busy part of the city 3 or 4 kilometers north of Tokyo Station. It's surrounded by a brick wall that's maybe 8 or 9 feet high, just high enough that you can't see the details of what's inside, but you can still see the tops of the trees. The design philosophy of this park dictates a pond in the middle, which is common for many Japanese gardens. After that stipulation, the main design point is to give the visitor many different views from the walking path around the pond. One view may emphasize the shape of an adjacent tree, the next may show how the tree integrates into its surroundings. It's a very high level of aesthetics and certainly beyond me, but it sure does look purty.
The walk from Rikugien to the subway was entertaining in itself. I happened upon lots of the mini-cars that you often see in Tokyo. Small cars answer many necessities in Japan. First, they're fuel-efficient. Very important in a country that imports about 100% of its petroleum products. Second, they fit into the tiny streets you'll find in many of the neighborhoods. That's about as practical a reason as you can get for making small vehicles.
Don't get me wrong, there are bigger cars in Japan. Most of what you see on the streets are fairly normal Nissans and Toyotas and Hondas. Those are for people who don't have to drive into tiny side streets. But even the trucks are smaller here. I've seen lots of flatbed delivery trucks that are literally the size of a minivan. I've seen one Corvette and no Hummers, thankfully. I imagine there are some here, but you'd have to be pretty rich to pay the taxes on something like that.
After a short subway ride, I was at Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens, which is among the oldest in the city. It was founded in the 1620s by the third Tokugawa Shogun. It's now in the shadow of Tokyo Dome. This garden also has a central pond, but its design philosophy is slightly different from Rikugien's. Instead of simply presenting trees and shrubs for their own sake, this garden re-creates famous scenes from all over Japan and China. For instance, a large mound of maybe 15 or 20 feet in height represents Mount Fuji. I didn't recognize any of the scenes. But again, everything was beautifully manicured. Best to leave it to the pictures.
The last thing you'll see is another example of the absolutely daring architecture in Tokyo. Many of the buildings here are staid, rectangular monoliths, as you would see in most any major city. But every now and then, you run across something that just blows your mind. Kind of like the "juxtaposition" picture taken yesterday at Ueno Park or the famously menacing Fuji TV building. You never know when you're going to see one of these buildings; they just sneak up on you.
I met up with Rieko tonight to go to dinner in Shimbashi. We had yakitori (chicken and vegetables grilled on skewers), tempura (vegetables lightly breaded and fried), and sashimi. Sashimi is like sushi, but without the ball of vinegared rice used with sushi. We had tuna, octopus, a crayfish-looking critter, squid, and some sort of clam or scallop or something. I passed on the octopus - I'd tried it once before, and in addition to being the consistency of a Pink Pearl eraser, it tasted like the inside of an inner tube. (Rieko was fine with that - she loves octopus, and it meant more for her!) But I happily ate everything else and enjoyed it. My streak is unbroken - I haven't had any western food since I got here. I do have scrambled eggs for breakfast most mornings, but because I eat them with chopsticks, it doesn't count.
Tomorrow is shaping up to be a good day. I'll take it easy in the morning. Then Rieko will meet me here and we'll ride up to Asakusa, to finally see Senso-ji Temple. After that, we'll take a river cruise boat to Hama-Rikyu Gardens, and then head over to the Shinjuku area to see the Meiji Jingu Shrine. Then probably dinner in Shimbashi again, and back to the hotel. The weather is forecast to be great, and it should be a good day for seeing cherry blossoms.
Enjoy the pictures!
