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There is more to see at Ikegami Baien than just plum blossoms. There are some nice ponds, trees, and tea houses (pictured in the background of yesterday’s pic) as well.
This is blog entry number 1,000! I wonder how many thousands more I’ll be good for? If enough of you “Like” this on Facebook today we could also hit 100 “likers.” We are also approaching 100 “followers” on NetworkedBlogs. We hit 100 followers on Twitter a few days back.
While I enjoyed my bento at Ikegami Baien, these Japanese kids feasted on McDonald’s. Ironic, isn’t it?
I’m a sucker for thatched roofs. While on water walk #8 I stumbled across this deserted temple. This view from under the old thatched-roof gate was breathtaking. I wandered the grounds for a long while without encountering another soul. Clearly the place was well maintained though. The loving care that went into this pine tree alone was remarkable. There was a lotus pond (photos coming someday). I lingered so long at Kaiganji that by the time I got to the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum in nearby Koganei Park I was starving. I opted to eat instead of go to the museum, something I now regret. Someday I will have to go back to make up for this blunder!
I love everything about a good traditional Japanese restaurant–the food, the service, the atmosphere. We ate at the place in today’s photo in Kawagoe.
I have spent the past few days in Seattle. I’ll post some photos on my other blog over the next week or two if you are interested.
The photo above is of the Japanese Garden on the edge of Washington Park. I couldn’t actually go in the Japanese Garden as it is closed in December and January, but I took a walk around it and took this photo through a fence at a distance. The sky was gray and this isn’t the best time of year for such a place, but I bet it is beautiful in spring and fall.
I have braved the New Year’s Day crowds at Meiji Jingu twice in my life–1989 and 2010. The place and number of people don’t seem to have changed. The crowd control measures sure have.
Hatsumode (初詣) is the name of this first shrine visit of the new year. Technically, this wasn’t my first shrine visit in 2010 as I was at Zojoji much earlier in the day.