After tens of years. 何十年ぶりだろうか

2015.5.13

It has been tens of years since my last time to visit the Higashiyama botanical garden. It is a huge area including outdoor gardens and a conservatory located next to the Higashiyama zoo. They are managed by Nagoya City.
Many things has changed since the last time. First thing I was surprised was the parking is not free, but 800 yen/day.  More expensive than the entrance fee of 500 yen.  Oh...
何十年ぶりだろうか、東山植物園を訪れた。東山植物園は屋外の庭園と温室からなる植物園で東山動物園に隣接している。双方とも名古屋市が管理している。
自然に行った時から色々なことが変わっていた。第一番に驚いたのは駐車場が無料ではなく、800円であること。入場料の500円よりも高い・・・

Entrance gate.

折も折、イベント会場では「苔玉と自然造形展」が。
瀬戸の何とかいう窯で作られた鉢が中々面白い。
Coincidentally, in the event house there held the exhibition of "Moss balls and Natural Crafts". The pots crafted at a pottery in Seto sity are elegant.

   

坂の上には新しいビルディングが見える。これについては後で書く。
Looking up the hill, I saw a new building.  I will write what it is.

散歩を始めて間もなく、フタリシズカを見つけた。多分花の終わった後だと思う。
Right after I started walking inside the gardens, this is a Futarishizuka or  Chloranthus serratus.  Flower had been over, I guess.

江戸時代の武家屋敷の門
A gate of Samurai mansion of Edo era.

所々、まるで野生の森林のようだ。
Sometimes it is like a wild forest.

An old farm house.
合掌造りの民家。

It was very hot day for May, this is a good place for visitors to take rests.
この日は5月にしては非常に暑い日で、ここはお客さんの休憩所にちょうどいい。


Today I'd like to feature these flowers that were hiding their leaves.
さて、今日の主役はこれ。葉っぱの影に隠れていた。

Hiding...
隠れている。

But, if you move the leaves, it comes out.
しかし、葉を退けると現れますねぇ。

It is called Musashiabumi according to the name post.  A kind of cobra lilies.
武蔵鐙と呼ばれる植物のようだ。

See?  It is really hard to discover.
ほらね。見つけにくい。

Some statues made with chain saws were displayed too.
チェーンソー製の彫刻も飾られている。

Now, coming back to the entrance, this building is a restaurant.  It looks really nice and hope I can come back here someday.
さあ、入り口に戻ってきて、このビルはレストランであった。素敵な感じだからいつかまた来たいと思った。

In the conservatory, rare orchids were blooming.
最後に入った温室では珍しい蘭が色々。

花見@京都 （その３）Cherry blossom watching @ Kyoto #3

2015.4.7

雨もほぼあがり、三日目は仁和寺の御室桜に挑戦。去年はまだ咲いていなかったようだが、今年は見頃となっていた。

Rain was almost stopped on the third day, we went to Ninnaji temple to appreciate Omuro sakura.  Since the cherry flowers a little later than usual cherries, it was too early when we visited Kyoto last year.  This year the condition is just perfect.

その後、去年に続いて妙心寺の退蔵院。今年は昼食付きのイベントに参加。

ここの枝垂れ桜は綺麗ねぇ。

After that, we went to Taizoin at Myoshinji again.  This year we joined an event including lunch at the temple.

The weeping cherry here is just different!

 阿じろの仕出し昼食。
Lunch prepared by Ajiro.

 お焦げの白湯
Hot water seasoned by burnt rice.

隠れ茶室

場所を変えてのお抹茶
Ground Japanese tea at the different house.

帰りに阿じろの看板も一枚
A picture of Ajiro restaurant.

帰路、いつも通るだけの山科で毘沙門堂に立ち寄った。京都東のすぐそばなんだねぇ。このお寺はNHKにも出たらしい。
On the way back home we dropped in Bishamondo temple at Yamashina where we usually just pass through.  It was very close to Kyoto east interchange.  The temple was once introduced by NHK TV.

花見@京都 （その２）Cherry blossom watching @ Kyoto #2

2015.4.6
二日目は嵐山。
嵐山は二度目だが、前回は秋だったので桜は見ていない。
On the second day, we visited Arashiyama.

駅についたらまあ綺麗なデコレーション。
We were welcomed by fantastic decorations at the Arashiyama station.

 歩き始めると可愛いお地蔵さん達。
No sooner than walking, we found a group of sweet and tiny Jizo Bosatsu.

隣国人がうじゃうじゃ沢山いる竹林を抜けていく。
Went through Bamboo forest swarmed with visitors from our neighbor countries.

 着いたのは大河内山荘。
入場料のせいか、何のせいか、この中には日本人と欧米人だけで、隣国人達は何故かいない。
It was Okochi villa and garden that we arrived at.
Because of the entrance fee, or whatever, there were only Japanese and westerner visitors.

傾斜地のテッペンから桂川が見え、山には桜が点々と。
From the top of the garden, we could see Katsura river, and the mountain was decorated with spots of cherry blossoms.

お庭の中にも桜など咲き。
There are cherries in the garden, of course.

入場料に込のお抹茶を頂く。
Took a rest having a bowl of powdered tea and a sweet.  This was included in the entrance fee.

天竜寺は北口から庭園に入れた。
枝垂れ桜が結構まだ残っていた。
We were able to enter the Tenryuji temple garden.  There remains many hanging cherry blossoms still.

蓮が枯れてキチャナイ池にはサギが餌をついばむ。桜の下で旨いよねぇ。

At a dirty pond with rotten lotus, a heron is eating fish.  Eating under a beautiful cherry blossoms should be delicious.

 昼飯には、予約してあった西山艸堂。結構なボリーム。旨い。
We had lunch at Seizansodo.  Delicious.

西山艸堂のお庭にも枝垂れ桜。狸とともに。
A weeping cherry with a raccoon.

行ったことのない場所シリーズ、渡月橋。
Next place that I had never been was Togetsu bridge.

晩飯の前に祇園白川に。雨がひどくなりだしたので、チョコレート屋さんに入った。喫茶部はこのドアから地下の秘密の隠れ家にパスワードを押して入る。
Before dinner we went to Gionshirakawa.  In the rain getting heavier, we dropped in a chocolate shop.  A cafeteria part of the shop is hidden underground.  We have to push pass number to enter.

 チョコ販売の店舗の外観。
Outside of the chocolate shop.

白川のすぐ隣。地下の窓からも白川が見えた。
The shop is right next to the river Shirakawa.  We could watch the river and cherries from the underground cafeteria.

白川の桜も盛りを過ぎていたが、まだ綺麗。
Cherries were over the full bloom, but still beautiful.

花見@京都 （その１） Cherry blossom watching @ Kyoto #1

2015.4.5-7

去年の花見があまりに良かったので、今年も行こうということになった。
Because cherry blossom in Kyoto was so beautiful last year, we decided to visit this year, too.

雨で寒いの予報は致し方もなく、出発。京都辺には名所が沢山ありすぎて、何度行っていても行ったことない有名スポットがまだまだある。

最初の目的地は、そんな中からまず花見と関係なく伏見稲荷。
雨というのに夥しい数の外国人。記念撮影すら困難。
兎に角、鳥居の中を重軽石まで行き、帰りの茶店で何はともあれお稲荷さんと狐そば。出汁旨し。
We left home without being able to do anything for the weather forecast of rain and cold.  There are so many POI's around Kyoto, there are many famous spots that we have not visited even though we visited Kyoto many times.
The first stop was one of those, Fushimi Inari shrine.
Regardless of the rain, there were surprisingly many foreign visitors.  Even taking pictures were not easy tasks.  Anyway, we walked through famous rows of gateways to the Heavy or light stone, dropped in one of the cafeteria on the way back, and had Inari Sushi and Fox soba noodle.  The soup was fantastic.

雨はひどくなるが、予定通り円山公園。この有名な枝垂れ桜も私は初めて。
なるほど見事なものだ。
Ignoring the worsen rain, next stop was Maruyama park as planned.  The famout hanging cherry was also the first visit for me.  Gorgeous, indeed.

そして休憩は長楽館。伊藤博文ご真筆の額（?）らしい。
We took rests at Chorakukan.  It is said that the writing is by Hirofumi Ito.

雨は衰えず、桜も盛りを過ぎているようなので、岡崎辺、平安神宮はもう車の中から見てオシマイにして、宿泊先へ。
と思ったが若干早過ぎるので、佐々木酒造に立ち寄る。何やら蔵之介の実家とのこと。所が、生憎定休日。しかし商魂たくましく、いやお客様の気持になって、自販機で純米吟醸聚楽第が買えた。
Since the rain did not get light and cherries are over the most beautiful period, we did not get of the car to watch around Okazaki, and Heian shrine, and headed to the hotel.
Having said that, since it was to early to check in the hotel, we stopped at Sasaki Sake brewery.  This is a home of Japanese actor, Kuranosuke Sasaki.  Unfortunately the brewery is closed.   But, how sales minded, or considerate for customers, they placed a vending machine that let us buy a bottle of sake, Jurakudai.

宿泊先は去年と同じ、等持院北町の白梅荘。おもてなしがたまりません。去年枯れた大枝垂れ桜の後に若木が植えられていた。嬉しい。
The hotel is same as last year, Hakubaiso at Tojiinkitamachi.  The hospitality is terrific.  There is a young cherry tree in the garden where the big old cherry tree dead last year.  Made us feel great.