GREETINGS FROM TOKYO #2

 

Hello all,

The photograph, above, is of the arrangement in the Japanese Room of Sogetsu HQ, which was made by Master Instructor Suisen Takagi.

The small arrangement, below, was also in the Japanese Room.

For those who haven't visited Sogetsu Kaikan yet, this is what one sees when approaching the building.

I arrived in Japan a few days before the Ikebana International 13th World Convention because I wanted to catch up with my Japanese friends. The first friend I caught up with was Emiko and I shared the photograph of the two of us last week.

The following day I had lunch with Kosa Nishiyama sense at the Japanese restaurant, Wadakura. She had organized, everything including the pre ordering of the sumptuous meal and selecting a table in front of a window, from which we could enjoy the view of the Imperial Palace Gardens. As wonderful as it all was, the best thing was spending time with my friend. It's sad to think that, with such distances, we may not see each other in person again. Of course, thanks to modern technology we can communicate very easily.

Kosa Nichiyama sense and me

That evening I had dinner with Akiko Takahira Abe at an Italian Restaurant at Ginza 6 Shopping Complex. I arrived early and enjoyed some serious window shopping before our meal. We had so much to say that we forgot to take photos. She and I had become friends when, in 2014, I was in Tokyo for 3 months studying intensively at HQ as part of the Norman Sparnon scholarship. Akiko was part of the Overseas Affairs department and in charge of looking after me. We clicked and have been friends ever since.

We met again the next day. Akiko had planned for us to visit Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi Prefecture, which is renowned for its huge wisterias. This is the ideal time to visit the park because the wisterias are in flower. Of course, there are, also, many other spring flowering plants to be dazzled by.

My friend Akiko at the entrance of Ashikaga Flower Park

Based on Akiko's description, I was looking forward to visiting the park but I was not prepared to be so impressed that words fail me. I thought I died and gone to heaven and I did not want to leave. Apart from other flowering plants, such as azaleas, dogwoods, snow ball trees, rhododendrons etc there are 350 wisteria trees in all colours. There is one that is 150 years old, which has been designated as a natural treasure.

Below are a few photographs which can only give you an idea of the scope and magnificence of this garden. One thing I could not capture, however, was the heady fragrance that permeated the whole park.

The Great Wisteria - 150 years old

We had lunch at the park and waited until dark, when the park is transformed by strategically placed lights into a fairyland.

If anyone is planning a trip to Japan for late April to early May, do yourself a favour and visit the park. It is a bit of a distance from Tokyo but well worth the effort.

Bye for now,

Emily