Nearly Autumn

There was some autumn colour in the maples at Korakuen gardens in Okayama.  This one was beginning to turn and really made me want to visit again later in November.

Okayama Gardens 2

Teams of gardeners at work pruning in Okayama Korakuen Gardens.  I watched one pruner for a while, he was using secateurs like nail scissors, snipping and no chopping.

Chrysanthemum Appreciation

Okayama Gardens where hosting a Chrysanthemum convention.  They are not my favorite flower and I don't know much about them so their informative brochure "How to See and Appreciate Chrysanthemum Flowers". Okiku-Fukusuke style resembles the big head of the Fukusuke doll - bringer of good luck.

Korakuen Gardens - Okayama

The Korakuen Gardens are the main tourist attraction in Okayama.  I was glad to make a stop there and visit the beautiful and extensive formal gardens.  I was wishing I could be there in Spring as there were massed iris and groves of flowering plums and cherries and long pagodas covered with wisteria.  There were some tinges of autumn colours but I was too early for the maples. 

The gardens  are popular with locals as there were school children playing, men in dark suits in tour groups and couples posing for photographs in traditional Japanese clothing.