Today was a light day, we didn't travel outside
of our hotel area. Don't expect there won't be any notes, though, quite
the opposite!
First we packed all the 5kg of stuff we've bought in Japan, and sent it home... Then,
First we packed all the 5kg of stuff we've bought in Japan, and sent it home... Then,
Then we went to Komagome, which is maybe 2 kilometers away, to its Azalea Street and...
Rikugien garden. It is a small landscape garden built over 300 years ago to reflect on the beauty of Japanese waka poetry.
The garden isn't that large, but it is planned
so carefully it feels large. Bamboo-surrounded dirt paths are swerving,
never exposing you to much of the park, until you reach the right spots
Where will this stone path lead us?
It's a lovely glimpse of a bridge made of two huge stone slabs
Suddenly, the view is all covered in red
Azalea, so much of it
You blink, you turn, and you see a beautiful tiny island
Pillars support tired branches of ancient pine trees.
Each view from the garden is unique. There are very few people, and even less tourists. Rikugien isn't very popular.
There's a tiny rocky stream with waterfalls and
a "tea room" (which is basically a rain shelter), but the area was
partially closed for maintenance today.
This rock structure in the water is also an
island. It symbolises eternity in Taoism, and, according to a legend, is
inhabited by a wizard. We haven't seen a wizard, but we are certain
there are many turtles living on this rock.
The first properly open space in the park gives you the view of the pond and the islands.
Turtles 🐢
The second open view exposes you to the azalea. You cannot see that much from the azalea field, though. Very clever!
Some of the tea rooms are actual tea rooms,
serving snacks or even food. The structures are mostly original, the
park survived the wars and the bombings. The tea rooms are quite humble.
The garden is the main attraction, the pavillions are just to shelter you from the rain or sun.
Sencha tea was fabulous. Salty red bean manju buns were delicious, too.
Sencha tea was fabulous. Salty red bean manju buns were delicious, too.
The garden is designed in such a way that
there's always some beautiful plant life one can enjoy. Wintersweet in
January, then camelia and plum in February, cornelian cherry in March,
sakura between March and April, then azalea until June, and hydrangea
from May to August. Then lilies, camelia again, and then maple leaves 🍁 in December.
The final spot of the walk is the hill from which you can see most of the garden's open space. It's very quiet in there.
Field notes: I think Japanese are much better
at spreadsheets and spatial and visual thinking than westerners.
Complicated schedules are commonplace, and no one complains.
REALLY complicated spreadsheets are frequent, too
I believe if people make charts like this casually, there should be plenty of people who understand them, right?
Even the city structures are multi-dimensional.
The city is divided into wards, wards are divided into blocks, and
areas inside the block are numbered in a way that makes sense if you're
looking at the map. There are (generally) no street names.
A normal address is something like:
Tokyo, Toshima City, Minami Ootsuka area, block 3 - 40 - 8
A normal address is something like:
Tokyo, Toshima City, Minami Ootsuka area, block 3 - 40 - 8
Japanese people seem very organised. Many shops
and restaurants have a ticketing system. You go to a machine, you get a
ticket, you get served. Sometimes tickets are just to reserve your
seat, sometimes they include an order and have to be prepaid.
Vegan dandan noodles in a shop right inside a train station? Absolutely. Itadakimasu!
(The restaurant is highly ranked, and there's a reason for that; it's delicious)
(The restaurant is highly ranked, and there's a reason for that; it's delicious)
As I mentioned, we wanted to have a relaxing
day today. What's more relaxing than a planetarium? To the Sunshine 60
we go! It is the home of Konica Minolta Manten ("Full Sky") planetarium.
Incidentally, this is the set of BanG Dream MyGo!!!!! and, to an extent, Ave Mujica.
Incidentally, this is the set of BanG Dream MyGo!!!!! and, to an extent, Ave Mujica.
Sunshine 60 and the skyscrapers around are freaking tall.
There are way too many people during the day, but the area is actually quite empty in the mornings and at night.
There are way too many people during the day, but the area is actually quite empty in the mornings and at night.
The planetarium is actually combined with the
cinema. Each show is beautifully shot and professionally narrated. The
one we've seen was about Okinawa's night sky, local Okinawan names for
constellations, and so on. TIL you can see the Southern Cross from
Okinawa!
The show has English dub translated to the radio guide, but the Japanese in the show wasn't particularly difficult.
Radio guide system also works as an interface for the aid, and has option to listen to the japanese narration.
The show has English dub translated to the radio guide, but the Japanese in the show wasn't particularly difficult.
Radio guide system also works as an interface for the aid, and has option to listen to the japanese narration.
It is a special experience, with the most expensive seats being close to $50 for a 30 minute show.
Curiosities seen during our walk back to the hotel:
Local fire brigade has an official Sonic collaboration
Local fire brigade has an official Sonic collaboration
Tokyo Sakura tram has a long rose garden along the tracks in the Ootsuka area
A fancy convenience store next to the hotel has a shy floor washer
The convenience store doesn't have clerks at
the register. Instead, there's a monitor showing an animated character.
It usually says "avatar crew offline", but someone has joined and
started to control the avatar when we started scanning our stuff.
Apparently, the avatar is needed because elderly people sometimes get
confused at the register and need help from someone who can see what's
going on.
"Hey, Japanese people are so kind they leave free umbrellas outside of the shops!!!"
...is an urban legend among foreigners. No, these umbrellas are left by people who just entered the shop and don't want to make the shop's floor wet. They are not free, it's someone's umbrella.
It is even a meme on Japanese social media that in japan you can leave anything and it will be where you left it, but if you leave a clear plastic umbrella it will disappear in seconds.
Don't steal the umbrellas. Imagine leaving your umbrella for a moment, and then getting out of the shop in the rain to realise that someone has stolen your umbrella?
That's me. Someone stole my umbrella. From the umbrella stand.
What is wrong with you, people. "Free umbrellas" :/
You can tell I'm still bitter.
It was a crappy umbrella but it was MINE.
...is an urban legend among foreigners. No, these umbrellas are left by people who just entered the shop and don't want to make the shop's floor wet. They are not free, it's someone's umbrella.
It is even a meme on Japanese social media that in japan you can leave anything and it will be where you left it, but if you leave a clear plastic umbrella it will disappear in seconds.
Don't steal the umbrellas. Imagine leaving your umbrella for a moment, and then getting out of the shop in the rain to realise that someone has stolen your umbrella?
That's me. Someone stole my umbrella. From the umbrella stand.
What is wrong with you, people. "Free umbrellas" :/
You can tell I'm still bitter.
It was a crappy umbrella but it was MINE.
Vending machines are everywhere. Vending machines are happiness. Cold barley drink in a hot rainy night, in a launderette...
A slightly bigger convenience store has festival foods on sale. Mitarashi dango 🍡! Rice dumplings in sweet soy sauce