….it’s good enough for me, much as I can’t warm to the man. Monty Don visited Kenruoken twice in his Japanese Garden series and I went back this morning.
However, first challenge of the day – how to eat a boiled egg with chopsticks? Answers on a postcard, please. I approached it from a number of angles and, after careful observation of other diners, concluded it could be a while until I saw another boiled egg eater, gave up and used a knife and fork. Each time I resort to cutlery, I feel a small sense of failure.
I walked up to the garden through the Fish Market and here’s a photo especially for John, I know how much he loves fish…
I shall try not to bore you with too many garden photos. Yesterday, it was very busy around the Hisagoike Pond and Midori waterfall and I can see why. This is where the garden originated and it’s a beautiful, peaceful spot. I sat on a bench, absorbing the atmosphere and would still be there other than it was a bit damp and I had a train to catch.
The gardeners were busy at work, sweeping leaves, raking gravel and moss and making a beautiful tree even more beautiful. Yesterday, I walked past a small patch of Anemones, they caught my eye because there was just the one patch and no other perennials. Mysteriously, I couldn’t find them today. The magic of a strolling garden perhaps? So many paths and vistas
I spent an hour and a half appreciating the trees and meandering watercourses. If nothing else, you should visit for the trees. I sat under one with a book, wondering why I was on my way back to Tokyo. It’s a truly stunning place and I left just as the coach parties started to arrive, result!
Yesterday, I ran out of time to visit the Shima Geiko Museum, which was a shame because everywhere was so much quieter than today. I should have known the museum would be trouble when I saw many pairs of shoes lined up by the door. The was a group of a dozen women, lying on the floor for their photos and generally being oblivious to other visitors, their noise and inconsiderate behaviour in a small, historic building was astonishing.
Shima is a traditional chaya house, dating back to 1820 when visitors would be entertained and served tea by Geiko,
The train journey to Tokyo was straightforward and I arrived at Shinjuku about 3. Shinjuku is the world’s busiest station, handling 2million passengers a day, and it was quite a shock after the last few days. It took a while to find my way out of the station and the surrounding area was equally busy. The area is surrounded by tower blocks and is also home to the wildest red light district in Japan as well as numerous department stores. This is a side road Japan I haven’t seen before and it’s a bit overwhelming. Luckily, we’re only here fpr a couple of nights.
Dinner was in a Kobe beef katana and the most expensive meal of the holiday. It was very tender and tasty and the staff put on quite a show.
