Rikugien was completed around 1700, commissioned by the son of a high-ranking official. Eventually, it was purchased by the family that owns Mitsubishi, then turned over to the public. This was our second visit to this garden, since we were here last August.
Let’s return to our trip to Japan last September, shall we? Most of Tokyo has been demolished (by war, fire, and earthquake) and rebuilt multiple times. The neighborhood of Yanaka, however, was damaged less than most from the cataclysms of the 20th Century. As a result, it is one of the oldest areas of Tokyo.
Excuse me while I go on a little rant. This year’s plant catalogs are starting to arrive, which is generally a wonderful thing. However, some of those catalogs are touching a sore spot with me: namely, the never-ending supply of ugly and unnatural varieties of Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea).
It’s New Year’s Day, and I’m sitting on our back porch looking out on the garden, which is in a state of deep freeze. Now seems like a good time to think about the flowers that made me happiest over the year that just passed.
Did I say we were renting a cabin? In truth, this place is more like a Mcmansion. It’s so huge that I’m embarrassed to post a picture. But on a family vacation like this, too much space is generally better than too little. There’s privacy when it’s wanted. For example, Meredith (David’s long-time girlfriend) has brought her bagpipes so she could practice for an upcoming competition (really – she’s a competitive bagpiper). Amazingly, we can hear her only faintly when she plays at the other end of the house.
You may remember how for years I’ve been saying that we needed to replace our front screen door, which was perfect for giving people the impression that our house was abandoned. Actually, the whole door needed replacing, as it was designed to ensure that refreshing blasts of arctic air kept the indoors from getting too stuffy.
So when we left off telling you about our trip to Japan we had just gotten off the Sumida River water bus at the Akasuka stop. From there we were walking to Sensoji, one of Tokyo’s most venerable Buddhist Temples. Alas, it was still raining.
So I’m still trying to figure out what to plant in place of the Cranberrybush Viburnum (Viburnum trilobum) that are snuggled up against the hedge on the west side of the Back Garden. Whatever I choose has to be pretty shade tolerant, as this spot is shaded by the hedge itself in the afternoon, in addition to the dappled shade that covers the Back Garden as a whole.
So where were we? Oh right, Judy and I had just gotten on the Tokyo Water Bus at the Hama Rikyu Garden stop. We decided we would take the Sumida River Line to Asakusa, then get off and walk to the Sensoji Temple.
Our first day in Tokyo this past September, Judy and I visited Hama Rikyu Garden. Some four hundred years ago this garden consisted of a shallow pond and marshland used by feudal lords for duck hunting. Today, however, it is surrounded by the skyscrapers of downtown Tokyo.
gardeninacity 