Saturday, July 2, 2011

KENROKUEN KANAZAWA





We visited the famed garden of Kenrokuen on an overcast and sometimes drizzling day.


 The picture below is of the tree with the most supports that I noticed in the garden. Please note the late flowering irises.

The azaleas were a bit the worse for the rain. So, I picked off some of the ruined petals.







  

This is how to keep your moss garden free of weeds.

Greetings from Christopher 27th June


Saturday, June 25, 2011

GARDENS, WILDFLOWERS, JOMON OUTDOOR MUSEUM...

Here are a variety of recent pictures.
This is an interesting freeway interchange about one and a half kilometres down our street. A double-decker freeway built over the main road and crossing a lower elevated freeway above another road at the intersection.




This sacred tree below is (probably) Castanopsis (chinquapin or chinkapin) a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the beech family. At 500 years it is the oldest tree in Chinzan-so garden at the Four Season's Hotel Tokyo.


Three images of the garden at the entrance to the Munakata Shiko Museum in Aomori.








Wildflowers at the open air Jomon Museum in Aomori. 







In 1994 a prehistoric site was discovered here that was occupied for 1,500 years from around 3,500 BCE. It is contemporaneous with the construction of Stone Henge in the UK. The tower and thatched building on the right are among about a dozen reconstructions based on archeological evidence from the site. (See:www.japan-guide.com/e/e3753.html, or google aomori jomon site) 











To my utter amazement one is invited to handle these reconstructed ceramics from the site. Yes the sign does say this pot is 5,400 years old!



Below the only thing one is allowed to photograph at the Aomori Prefectural Art Gallery. Which contains the three ballet backdrops painted by Marc Chagall mentioned in my journal.
From the train on the way to Akita
Lilies in the moat at the Akita Art Gallery
Christopher 25th June 2011

Saturday, June 18, 2011

SENKEIEN GARDEN YOKOHAMA

This is a  beautiful garden formerly the private garden of the Hara family contains some historical buildings that have been relocated to the site.














We visited this garden on 4th June 2011.
Christopher