Exhausted
from an overnight excursion at the Japanese Alps, we slated our Yokohama and
Central Tokyo expedition for our third day. For this entry, focus will be on Sankeien Garden in Yokohama. I'll let the photos speak for themselves this time and not bore you with my drama. Haha.
Upon alighting the train station at Yokohama, this big signage greeted us.
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| The greeting wall at Yokohama station |
Our first stop within the city was Sankeien Garden. It’s a historical garden in Yokohama where one can find the preserved historical structures from all over the country. We paid an entrance fee of 500yen each and started our 2-hour exploration for a miniscule portion of Japan's history.
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| Direction signage, our tickets, and me stamping our brochures. |
This lovely lake welcomed us and we're delighted to see first-hand the Japanese elderly passing their time as they cultivate the art of painting. They were orderly lined up at the lakeside with their art materials as they try to immortalize the beauty of the garden's central attraction in their canvass.
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| The lake with the boat as centerpiece |
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| Elderly locals engrossed with their art |
It
also boasts of ponds, lakes, and small rivers inhabited by koi fishes and
several species of fowl.
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Clockwise from top: (1) the lake; (2) an icy lotus pond;
(3) a bird perched on the icy sheet of a pond; (4) ducks and fishes swimming in the lake |
The landscape is far from the usual gardens we often see partly because its winter that time. Grass on the ground is of light shade of brown due to the cold weather.
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| The landscape by the entrance |
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| Beautiful view |
If cherry blossoms are seen during spring, winter is the perfect time for plum trees to bloom. And unlike Japan's national flower, plum blossoms has a variety of color.
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| A variety of plum blossoms |
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| Variety of plum bonsais |
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| Plum blossoms as our background |
As we walked farther, Archie would ask us to pose at a certain spot. It's really a blessing to have him with us as if not for him, we won't have these lovely photos together.
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| By the lake |
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| Stolen shot as we walk away from a historical structure |
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| On the bridge |
Because the land of the rising sun really has an interesting and very different foliage from our tropical country, we also spotted these lovely two-toned daffodils. Oh, what a beauty?!
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| Lovely daffodils |
I was also able to have some snaps of the boys as we wandered around.
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| On the steps leading to another structure |
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| Ancient houses as his background |
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| Archie as if praying before this ancient house |
Next we found a man with his pet monkey making a show for the public. It was very amusing to see the animal walking on stilts and even leaping over barricades while he's on it. I must say, the crowd was definitely impressed.
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| The monkey and his tricks |
In one area of the garden there's a viewing deck with a view of Mt. Fuji. We're lucky to see the shy snow-capped mountain even from afar as normally it will hide itself in the clouds.
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| Mt. Fuji behind the industrial plants |
Walking away from the viewing deck, we stumbled upon a monument of the Buddhist god, Syusse Kannon. This god is where the electronics giant, Canon, got it's name. Showing colors of loyalty, we had Archie pose beside the image. =)
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| Archie and a monument of Syusse Kannon |
From there, we next saw the three storey pagoda.
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| Pseudo-prenup shot before the pagoda |
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| Another pseudo-prenup shot |
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| Trying to be sweet |
On our way down from the hill where the viewing deck and pagoda were, we came across this small gazebo where guests/tourists can warm up with the piping hot tea and the open fire on the ground.
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| Free hot tea for everyone |
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| Thankful for the hot tea that warmed us |
We indulged our eyes with the Eastern structure and architecture but not forgetting to also encapsulate such memories through our lenses.
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| By the Japanese gates |
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| Pseudo-prenup once again |
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| Another couple shot |
Situated inside the sprawling garden is the Old Yanohara House which is considered as an Important National Culture Property in Japan. It was moved to Sankeien from Gifu Prefecture's Shirakawago, an area listed among the World Heritage sites. Among the many structures there, this is the only structure where guests are allowed to enter.
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| The Old Yanohara House |
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| Me inside the Old Yanohara house |
We were fortunate to have a group picture in this significant historical house. Our photo by this eastern fireplace was taken by a polite and helpful elderly man. He and his wife were yearning to warm themselves up by the open flame. In his own volition, he lied down the floor as he looked for the perfect angle and lighting for this photo. Thank you very much sir! =)
Afterwards, we made our way to the exits with a better appreciation of eastern architecture, foliage, and culture. I'll save for the next entries the rest of our third day in Japan so do watch out for it. =)
Read the rest of the Turning Japanese
Series here:
'Til next time,
