Today was
my midterm for the ILP, so as a way to treat me for all my recent
studying, Nicky came from Hamadayama to treat me to Mos Burger. After
lunch, we decided to go find the post office, as Nicky needed to mail a
letter and a health charm to her grandfather, who is going in for heart
surgery next week. At the mini-post office, I found some awesome Genji
stamps, so bought a set to put into my Puri-kura book.
As we started to head back towards the
main drag of town, I happened to notice a sign promoting the Rikugien
Garden. It was in Sugamo, so I was interested in going, but it was Nicky
who actually read the map and realized how close it actually was. Since
the day was still young, we decided to make the walk to the garden...
and I’m so happy we did.
Let me start off by saying that this
garden literally knocks the socks off Shinjuku Gyoen. There are three
teahouses lovingly preserved on the premises, two of which you can
enter. The whole garden is built to center around a massive lake with an
island in its middle, and there are so many different paths that you
can take that it is hard to get bored. Of course, since everything in
the garden is inspired by waka poetry, a great deal of thought has gone
into every stone, bridge and tree.
...there are also a LOT of turtles.
When crossing one bridge, as many as twenty red-eared sliders all
clamored underneath us (most likely hoping for handouts). It was pretty
cool to see that many, and there were a few mud turtles and a couple of
tortoises too.
The cha-yas are so beautiful. You can
see the images in my Tokyo gallery, but a lot of the beams of one of the
houses are made out of the trunks of trees, giving it a very oblong and
obtuse shape. It was really cool. Then there was the modern teahouse,
where Nicky and I stopped in to have matcha and traditional sweets. It
was such a nice spot, with the wind blowing through the chimes and a
blue heron fishing for its dinner in the distance. It was absolutely
perfect.
We stayed until the park closed, at which point we headed back towards my room to have dinner. It was a really nice day....
P.S.- I
got an email from my future landlord this morning showing me pictures of
the inside of Nicky and I’s apartment in Kyoto... I am SO excited. The
apartment is a mostly traditional interior, with rice paper lanterns, a
kotatsu (a table with a heater underneath to keep you warm in winter),
tatami, and two brand new futons. He also bought us a brand new rice
cooker, pots, dishes, hangers and a set of pillows. It seems unreal,
given our deposit is only $300, and the monthly rent is $450. I’m paying
more for my room in Sugamo, and its barely a third of the size of the
apartment in Kyoto. I can’t wait to move now!!!!