5/2/24: Tokyo's Delightful Gardens & the Shibuya Scramble!

Colorful scenes at metro stations en route to the Rikugien Garden in north Tokyo:

After the longish journey, we definitely needed some sustenance before hitting the acclaimed Japanese-style garden and stopped in at one of the many bakeries found all over Tokyo. We chose some pastries that were far more conventional than these cute ones, though!

Rikugien is described as a “Garden of Waka poetry,” a type of poetry in classical Japanese literature based on ancient Chinese poetry because the kaiyu-style or circuit-style garden with artificial hills and a pond reflected the world of Waka poetry. Named after the six categories of Waka poetry, Rikugien was completed in 1702 by a trusted confidante of the fifth shogun who started as a page before rising to the highest rank as a feudal lord. In 1878, the garden, a typical representation of the Edo Period, became a villa of Mitsubishi's founder, Yataro Iwasaki. When his family donated it to the City of Tokyo in 1938, it became a cultural heritage and was designated a Special Place of Scenic Beauty.  

The name of this stone bridge, Togetsukyo, came from a famous poem that depicts a moon moving in the sky as if crossing a bridge. In Japanese "to" means crossing, "getsu" is the moon, and "kyo" means a bridge.

The sign alerted people to the curve in the bridge!

Plaques around the grounds pointed out 88 scenic spots that reflected Wakanoura Bay in Wakayama Prefecture that appear in Waka poems. This hill or Fujishiro-toge was Number 74 in "The 88 Views of Rikugien" and was modeled after a slope called Fujishiro-saka in Kigshu, the former name for Wakayama Prefecture. Rhododendrons perfumed the hill!

From the top of the 35-meter-high hill, Fujimi-yama, or Fuji-view Peak, we had a panoramic view of the garden. I gather people used to be able to see Mt. Fuji from this spot. We'd have to wait a few days until we caught our first glimpse of the famous mountain!

Number 87 in The 88 Views was this path or Sasakani-no-michi as the word "Sasagani" meant spider in olden days and the path was as "slender as a spider's thread."

More of The 88 Views were of this bashi or Mountain-Shadowed Bridge and the stream gently flowing under it.

This was the only remaining pavilion built by the Iwasaki family during the Meiji era, 1868-1912. The rare structure was constructed using rhododendron wood for the pillars and beams.

I've heard of a "carpet of flowers" but had never seen an example before this.

Too bad these sweet origami figures would have gotten squished before reaching home as they would have made cute and light souvenirs!

I could see how the garden was especially famous for its changing maple leaves in the fall.

For each of the 88 scenes associated with Waka poetry, there used to be a sekichu or stone pillar but only a few remained.

Horaijima was the name given to the stone-arched island. Meaning "crouching dragon," it referred to the shape of the rock as it emerged from the water and was Number 22 in The 88 Views of Rikugien.

The delicate and tranquil garden included a wide range of beautiful views as we strolled around the pond.

If you read the previous post on our visit to the Imperial Palace's East Gardens, you know how disappointed we largely were there. Rikugien Garden, by contrast, with its strolling paths, hills, islands, and islets was so enchanting!

From the peaceful and serene gardens, we ventured into the mayhem of downtown Tokyo en route to Japan Traditional Crafts in Aoyama Square. We'd only been in Tokyo a couple of days but its architecture had done little to wow or even attract us so far. These views were no exception.

I wish I could say my native Canadian Embassy we happened on stood out but it didn't!

At least I could applaud Canada for its stance on standing with Ukraine.

The crafts shop, established to promote Japan's artisans, was a great introduction to the country's traditional and contemporary designs and sold top-quality crafts from all over the country. I was in hog heaven!

These wooden dolls, called Miyagi-Dento-Kokeshi from the Miyagi Prefecture in northeast Japan, were said to be sold in the middle of the Edo Period to people visiting the hot springs.

A few steps from the embassy and shop was Takahashi Korekylo Memorial Park, an oasis in the city where we stopped to recoup for a bit.

As someone who hates the smell of cigarettes, it was great to see that smoking is forbidden while walking down the streets. It was only allowed in contained shelters like this - sort of looking at circus animals at the zoo, I thought!

American baseball fans know all about one of Japan's most famous exports, Shohei Ohtani, who signed a 10-year, $700 million contract to play for the LA Dodgers. In case that's not enough moolah, the menswear retailer BOSS has also signed him!

As much as I may have previously dissed Tokyo's architecture, the unique glass-block-styled Prada store location in the Minami Aoyama neighborhood deserved high praise. Stella McCartney and other top retailers known the world over were all represented in the same district. 

Steven and I are only looky-loos when it comes to that high-end shopping - we'd made the trek to this part of the city for the Nezu Museum, a collection of more than 7,600 Japanese and East Asian works of art including seven designated as National Treasures and others as Important Cultural Properties or Important Art Objects. The works were amassed by Meiji-period politician, railroad magnate, and passionate lover of art Nezu Kaichiro.

Only a portion of Nezu's collection of calligraphy, paintings, bronzes, sculptures, and lacquerware are displayed in the vast space with special exhibitions rotating every four to six weeks.

Though the museum specialized in Oriental works, one gallery was devoted to Andean Textiles collected by Kaichiro in the 1930s. Textiles were a means of representing information using graphic images to Andean civilizations who lacked a writing system. Images of animals worshipped as deities expressed the Andean outlook on the universe. 

I suggest you click on the photo to see the fabulous ornamentation in the clock's movements designed by John Mottram, a clockmaker in 18th-century England. 

Steven and I had no idea the museum would be featuring The Irises screens by Ogata Korin, 1658-1716, while we were in the city. Easily worth the price of admission by itself, the enormous work straddled the line between painting and design. I wish I could have taken photos of the entire work to show the richness of the azurite blue and malachite green on the gold-foiled paper as it was just staggeringly beautiful.

Steven and I took great pleasure walking through the Ancient Chinese Bronzes Gallery which showcased objects from the 17th-11th-centuries BC! The most advanced casting techniques then found nowhere else in the world, produced these splendid bronze vessels. 

The jia was a three-footed vessel with a large handle used to warm wine that was popular in the Shang dynasty during the second millennium BC.

I wonder, Phil, Michaela, or Sarah whether any of you might have seen something like this piece in the British Museum as it's the only other known place to have a zun vessel? Shaped in the form of two back-to-back sheep with an open cylinder on their shared back, the Double Ram Zum was likely crafted for presentation at a religious altar from the 13th-11th-centuries BC.

Even if people aren't art fans, the Nezu Museum is a "don't miss" attraction in Tokyo for it's also home to one of the city's finest gardens so it was an unbeatable combination for us. The five-acre garden featured ponds, rolling paths, and teahouses and was just a stone's throw from the glitz and glamor of the high fashion district. 

The pair of 17th-century Korean pillars would have been placed in front of a tomb.

Aha  - the timing of The Irises special exhibition was no coincidence after all!

The Pair of Boy Attendants also came from 17th-century Korea.

Steven and I were smiling ear-to-ear at these scenes!

I thought of Diana, my childhood friend now living in Toronto because of her love of Japanese maple trees when we saw this exquisite pairing. 

I didn't know, Naomi, whether these were 'real' geishas or women wearing rental kimonos - regardless, they looked right at home in the Nezu Garden!

It was tough then making our way through the mob of people waiting in line for the grand opening of the Gentle Monster eyewear store. It was like people were lining up to attend a Taylor Swift concert, they were truly that excited!

From the absolute peace and serenity of both the Rikugien and Nezu gardens, we braced ourselves for the madhouse of Shibuya Crossing also known as Shibuya Scramble, rumored to be the busiest intersection in the world! With every light change, swarms of people - up to a thousand at peak times which was when we timed our arrival - hightail it across in all directions and all at once, only to have the process repeat itself with the next light change like an endless video loop! 

Would that our 6'7"-tall son-in-law Adam had been with us so he could take photos of the masses as we crossed Shibuya! I loved and even thrived on the insane energy of it all but unfortunately, Steven was too worried about me getting lost while focusing on taking photos. 

What appeared to be half of Tokyo's visitors - ourselves included - then all crammed into the busiest Starbucks location in the world to see it take place again and again from several stories up! The red light view:

The green light view:

Then the view from down at ground zero again!

We were lucky to have one of Tokyo’s most famous skyline views from the Asakusa area where we stayed. Three buildings, in particular, stood out: one was Tokyo's tallest structure, the Tokyo Skytree. Next to it was a tall golden building, the Asahi Beer Tower, the 22-story headquarters for Asahi Breweries, designed to resemble a well-poured glass of beer, with the white top representing foam.

Beside it was a squatter black building, the Asahi Beer Hall, which was a pedestal for a gigantic golden squiggle called the Asahi Flame that is supposed to represent “the burning heart of Asahi Beer." However, because of its curious shape, it is more indelicately known as “the Golden Turd.” Others have compared it to a tadpole or a blob of freshly squeezed mustard - take your pick!

Steven enjoying a can of Asahi of course!

Posted on May 9th, 2024, from delightful Kyoto, Japan where we just arrived last night. I can already see how we might 'overdose' on the city's shrines and temples as there appears to be one on every corner but we have a week to spread out the wealth so to speak! Wishing you and your loved ones peace and good health.

Next post: Our last day in Tokyo - a chance to meet up with an Irish friend we first met in Mongolia of all places on our first overseas trip together back in 2013!