Kairakuen

Located in Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture the Kairakuen is rated as one of the top three public gardens in Japan.

Built originally by a Tokugawa noble it  is famous for its thousands of plum trees that blossom in the spring before the cherry blossoms and rival them in diversity and beauty.

Also in middle of the park perched on a hill is the fabulous Kobuntei which was used as a sort pleasure house/ home away from home by the Tokugawa lord. It then it was also used as a samurai school.

 It has been stunningly restored and houses the most beautuful series of rooms and screens overlooking the park.The wonderful and careful use of all the tradional materials is a joy to see.

Oshibana

We went to the Ofuna Botanic Gardens South of Tokyo. It's a lovely area and all the Spring flowers were in full flight.




The highlight was an exhibition of Oshibana, pressed flowers, it was very different from the usual types you see.






These were actually quite marvellous artworks. Not craft, but obviously art.














Even fruit. No idea how they managed to do this :

Incredibly lifelike with the colours and structures wonderfully preserved.






Amazing care had been taken with the arranging and choice of backgrounds to stunning effect.

Saitama Fire Festival in Gyoda

The Saitama Fire Festival is held in early May each year in Gyoda.



This ancient ritual is connected with fertility, the planting of the new season's rice and of course the Gods.







It is held in a large park where ancient and enormous key-hole shaped burial mounds are located.


Literally thousands and thousands of people assemble for fun and games.

One of the greast thinsg about Japan is there is always an event or festival on somewhere that's reasonably easy to get to.

 Prior to the main event everyone picnics on the grass and listens to the live concerts as well as patronising the many typical fair and event food stalls.

Amongst the tens of thousands of people there I was the only Westerner I saw.

As night falls a great parade of 300 people carrying burning torches starts to circle around. There are a man and a woman borne along in palanquins who represent the gods.

At the climax of the event the gods set fire to a large traditional Japanese building which roars up into flames.

It's all quite something.

Bonsai museum and district

The area around Omiya-Koen, Omiya Park, hosts the Japanese National Bonsai Museum.











It is just north of Tokyo and  about 1/2 an hour from our house.
In addition to the museum  many bonsai growers and nurseries are in this area.


The museum is hosting the World Bonsai Conference next month and a wonderful exhibition is already in place.

Some of the bonsai on display are classified as national treasures and are hundreds of years old.

This was a favourite of mine. its actually a quince tree, I like the natural look and the texture of the trunk.


After the greart Tokyo earthquake of 1923 the bonsai growers of Tokyo moved en-mass to this part of Omiya where there was more land available and  they all settled together in this area.

The growers adopted a set of strict rules beween themselves one of which was that their gardens and nurseries  should be freeely open to the public.




To this day quite a few of the growers and gardens survive and it is lovely to walk and explore amongst them.

The streets are wide, beautful and quiet and a great contrast to the modern jumbled
ugliness of much of settled modern Japan.

As a bonus we came across an archery school practicing.