Torii Gates at Hie Shrine

 The tunnel of 90 torii gates at Hie Shrine, make it an "instagrammeable" site in Tokyo, but in times of social isolation it was very quiet. The seasonal azaleas added to the colour. 

More Wisteria

While only covering one trellis at Hie Shrine the wisteria makes an impact, both up close and in the greater context of the shrine.

Wisteria Hie Shrine

Wonderful wisteria at Hie Shrine on a small hill top in central Tokyo.

Wisteria festivals around the country have been postponed, but the wisteria can still be enjoyed, with social distancing  in a surprisingly quiet, peaceful and uncrowded court yard  of the this major Tokyo shrine.

Monday Manhole Cover Fuji

Sunday Kimono 25 Kimono and Coffee

Kimonos in a coffee shop in Kawagoe. The old world  and the new.

More Sakura

The Sakura season has finished, but in social isolation I am spending time trying to organising photos. The size and age of some of the trees constantly amazes me.

Sakura - The Transience of Life

Fallen Sakura, natural confetti, is my natural obsession at the end of the Sakura season, the ultimate symbol of the fleeting nature of life and the significance of Sakura within Buddhism.

The Japanese have an expression for this:

Mikkaminumanosakura (三日見ぬ間の桜) - this is a highly descriptive and evocative word in Japanese that means change happens very suddenly and intensely, much like the cherry blossoms that go from full bloom to being scattered in just a short space of time.

Sakura in the Cemetery

Cemeteries are sites for peak Sakura viewing.  These were taking in Yanaka cemetery during my Spring break in March.   Yanaka is an old neighbourhood in the north of Tokyo.  The cemetery was originally the graveyard for Tennoji Temple and the Sakura-dori was the entrance way to the temple.

The cemetery covers over 10 hectares.  

It is the final resting place for many famous people in Japanese history, including Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last shogun of Japan and the novelist Ichiyo Higuchi (1872-1896) who appears on the 5,000 yen note.

Monday Manhole Covers - Sakura

Manhole covers (manhoru) are a form of public art in Tokyo and Japan. Tokyo has a Sakura design on the covers.  There are designs for specific locations, such as the one above with birds and flowers in Kinuta Park.

Sunday Kimono 24 Social Isolation in a Kimono

 This kimono wearing young lady was walking her fluffy white dog along the Naka-Meguro canal, social isolation in Japanese style.

Shrine Social Distancing

Silence, social distancing and finding a moment of solitude at Khombatsu Shrine last Saturday.

Fluffy Sakura

Close up of the extra fluffy Sakura in Sakurashinmachi.

Fluffy Sakura in Sakurashinmachi

The Sakura in my neighbourhood is extra fluffy.  Sakurashinmachi means sakura new town and the main street is lined with these fluffy sakura in white and pink. I love that there are Sakura flowers and sakura symbols and signage all together.  I like the one below at the Good Ageing Sakura Acupuncture and Physical Therapy Clinic.

Gingko in Spring

New Gingko leaves.  Spring is springing here in Tokyo.

Same tree, different angle, back in October 2019.

Sakura and Maple

The fresh spring green of new maple leave with Sakura at Khombatsu shrine on the site of the Old Okusawa castle.  Not quite in my neighbourhood, as short bike ride away and close to "Punk Doily" an Australian baker who sells hot cross buns.

Sunday Kimono 23 - Sakura and Kimono

Graduation photos with family in front of Sakura are happening in parks and gardens around Tokyo.  The young woman are wearing this unusual style of kimono - a cropped jacket over a very high waisted pleated type skirt.  A woman I asked said it was "fashion". The tree they were been photographed with was huge and beautiful.

Sakura for Good Friday

Sakura along the Meguro Canal last Friday.  Hope to find some more Sakura on a Good Friday stroll.  Stay safe and stay in over the Easter Break.

The Onion Restaurant

Japanese restaurants are many and varied and you can walk into any and have a tasty and reasonably priced meal.  Walking home through Sangenjaya last week the signage and frontage on this restaurant looked welcoming and warm.  Not sure of its name, but  called it the onion restaurant.  Wonderful, tasty meals  based on green onions -  (one with rice, grilled onions on sticks and more) plus karagee (fried chicken).

There are several  types of Japanese onions, but long onions (naganegi), green onions (bannonegi), and baby scallions (asatsuki) are the most common. 

Sakura, Snow and Tulips

Spring time in Tokyo is not just about Sakura, the tulips are blooming too. This colourful bed of tulips is in Kinuta Park in my neighbourhood.  Saturday last week above and then it snowed the next day!

Sakura in the Workplace

 Working in a canal is less than ideal, but when its the Meguro canal at least you are surrounded by sakura.  The water level seemed to be low and I am not sure what the workers were doing??

Sakura Viewing

The Meguro River canal at Naka Megura is a popular Sakura viewing spot.  I visited during the Spring break.  It was busy (especially with selfie takers), but not as busy as last year. There were some curb side food vendors, but limited in number and specific celebrations were canceled.

Sunday Kimono 22 - Rental Kimono in Kawagoe

Kawagoe is known as Little Edo. It has many old buildings  - kurakuzkuri - warehouses with clay walls and steep tiled roofs.  Its a popular place to rent kimonos and explore the streets and eat local treats.  Sweet potato was popular when I visited last month, both in ice cream and as thin slices as fried chips.

Sakura Close Up

The flowers are sooooo beautiful and soooo soft.

No Sakaru - Online Learning

Life unfortunately is not all about strolling through the Sakura- work continues in the times of COVID.

School has returned from Spring Break for Quarter 4 and today we learnt it will be online learning until at least April 20 - had been expecting/ or told that classes would resume on April 6.  I think the admin were in a fantasy world!!

My Grade 10 Chemistry class have been amazing.  On zoom on time every day and here they are doing an online socrative quiz while I watch. Total concentration - amazing!!
Our faculty meetings are also online, often a monologue, but at least we connect.

Sakura in the Park

Sakura in Kinuta Park, the day prior to the snow fall.