in front of the man-made island
I have a tendency to procrastinate on visiting places within easy access, especially if they are well known tourist destinations. To date, a visit to Tokyo Sky Tree is not in the agenda. But if you live in Japan and have the same attitude, (some would say personality defect), you might want to change your habits just this one time.
Many years ago I traveled with my son and daughter to Kyoto where my son unexpectedly developed an interest in Japanese gardens. Upon returning to Tokyo, I tried to cultivate that by searching for gardens to visit.
There were quite a few to choose from including Hamarikyu which we also ended up visiting, but today the one that keeps coming back to mind is Rikugien ( 六義園 ) a park located in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo. I was not so impressed the first time we visited. Perhaps it was because we went on a grey cloudy during the hot and humid weather just at the tail of the rainy season. Maybe I was also just too tired to appreciate the finer points of the garden at the time.
Whatever it was, my experience years later was completely different. One autumn we had something that passed for a cold snap of weather in Tokyo, and because I remembered seeing many momiji (Japanese maple) trees on my first visit to Rikugien, I thought it might be worth going again.
momiji tree near a rest spot
backlit momiji tree
To my surprise, the garden was not only beautiful, but there were aspects I hadn't noticed on the first visit. I especially liked the contrast between the carefully tended and well groomed areas of the inner paths and the wilder, more natural look of the woods serving as a backdrop. Water runs throughout the garden from the small lake setting off the rocky island with pine trees to the smaller ponds running behind the manmade hills.
As with other Japanese gardens, I could see how the unique characteristics of the various pine trees had been brought out by artful training and pruning. Careful selection and placement of rocks enhanced the views. I guess the first time around was a case of looking but not seeing.
the island at night
That same day I learned that the garden was open for night viewing, so I decided to come back on another day after dark. I was apprehensive seeing the lines of people snaking out the gate waiting to get in, but it turned out to be well worth the wait in spite of the crowds.
The garden takes on a completely different character at night, although I'm sure it was something not intended by the original designers, especially the area with the artificial mist lit up with changing colors - definitely an acquired taste. Fortunately, this is limited to a small area in the woods, and in general, the rest of the lighting is tastefully done.
momiji tree at night
Unfortunately, I couldn't overcome the limitations of my point-and-shoot camera, and in spite of taking dozens of photographs, only a few turned out to decent enough to be shared. Tripods were not allowed, so you need something capable of low light photography. I was surprised to see so many senior citizens hunched over from the weight of large dslr cameras with expensive telephone lenses. Evidently, they had a lot more discretionary income than I did. Anyway, going back to Rikugien with a better camera is on my bucket list.
one of many bridges
Later, after I had decided to be more serious about learning about Rikugien, I found that it had been designed to reproduce the eighty-eight scenes in Kishuu (now known as Wakayama Prefecture) described in a waka poem. Rikugien is an Edo Period "kaiyu-shiki teien" garden or a walking garden in which a person follows a path through the garden to enjoy carefully composed views that resemble entire landscapes.
It was originally a residence of the fifth Shogun, Tsunayoshi Tokugawa, that was given in 1695 to Yoshiyasu Yanagisawa who constructed the garden over a period of seven years. Later the garden became the second residence of Mitsubishi's founder, Yataro Iwasaki, and the Iwasaki family donated the garden to the city of Tokyo.
When I learned that the garden was designated in 1953 by the national government as a "special site of exceptional beauty" and became an important cultural asset, I felt embarrassed and humbled by my initial obtuseness and ignorance.
Since then, I've visited Rikugien more frequently to enjoy its natural beauty and appreciate having this oasis right in the middle of urban Tokyo.
Some other things I learned:
As a "kaiyu-shiki teien" garden, Rikugien features eighty-eight scenes recreated from well-known poems within the 21 acres of the garden. These recreations don't copy details as much as convey the spirit of the place.
Rikugien is named after Shi-no-Rikugi ( 詩の六義 ) from an anthology of Chinese Han Dynasty poems ( 毛詩 ), and it literally means "the garden of the six principles of poetry." This refers to waka poetry, and the six types are allegorical, enumerative, metaphorical, allusive, ordinary, and laudatory.
(Note: Most of this material comes from the pamphlets received at the gate after paying the admission fee.)
Links
Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association:
• Rikugien (English version)
• Rikugien (Japanese version) Offers more information as well as two web cams.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Construction
• English brochure (I don't know why this agency puts this out, but it's not bad.)
© Lawrence Taguma All rights reserved.