Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Plum Blossoms at Koishikawa Korakuen

 Feb. 21st--Today we decided to go check out some more plum blossoms at the Koishikawa Korakuen.  This is one of Tokyo's oldest gardens, built in the Edo period (1600-1867).   In the picture are Logan, Audra, and Nathan.
 The garden was named Korakuen after a Chinese poem encouraging a ruler to enjoy pleasure only after achieving happiness for his people.  Like most traditional Japanese gardens, Koishikawa Korakuen attempts to reproduce famous landscapes in miniature, using ponds, stones, trees and manmade hills to replicate both Japanese and Chinese scenery.  The designer of this garden was inspired by the Chinese, and so this area has many Chinese attributes.   Look really close in the trees, and you will see a little red shrine....
See it now?  It's cute.
 In this man-made pond, there were large koi fish, ducks, and we also found this turtle swimming along!
 After walking for a bit, we decided to stop at some benches and eat our lunch.  There were some pine trees around, and nearby I noticed this sign stating that this place was called Red Pine Grove.  Apparently, the pine trees used to be much thicker, because the shogun's "aura" couldn't penetrate through it.  Ha!  :-)
 An old sake house.  There was an interesting table inside made from bamboo. 
 This is a rice field, hasn't yet been planted for the year. 
 Then, on the horizon, we finally spot what we came for: plum blossoms.


 Nathan showing off a beautiful tree. 
 Logan and Christopher
 I wish we could bottle up the smell from these blossoms and bring it home with us.
 This bridge is called "Engetsu-kyu" or full moon bridge because a full moon is formed by joining the figure of this bridge to its reflection in the water.  This bridge did survive the 1945 bombings, and is in its original form.
This wood shrine also survived the bombings and was interesting to look at because it is slightly different than other shrines.  It is built more like the Chinese rather than the Japanese shrines.  Inside contains two statues, but the shrine was locked up and we couldn't get in to see.
 Caitlin, Audra, and Tayla
Kirstin in the stroller, Raymond, Audra, and Caitlin on a red bridge.
 Nathan, Logan, Christopher, and Tayla
This would have been a great spot to get a family picture, but everyone started taking off for bathroom breaks, so I could only get a few kids at a time.
 These flat, vertical rocks near the stream was a favorite place for the shogun to come and meditate.  He would sit here on a rock next to the stream for hours and contemplate his great responsibilities.
 We really liked this area!  The bridge was so beautiful.  Above the bridge, to the left, was the foundation of a shrine that had burned down.  The washing area was still there--it being made of stone.  The shrine was a well-known favorite because it was on the top of a cliff. 
Aw....what a nice place.  Koishikawa Korakuen is a beautiful garden with many aesthetic areas.  We loved being here and exploring it. 

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Hina Matsuri Doll Display

Feb. 16th--Today, we finished schoolwork early and headed down to Meguro to go to the Hina Matsuri Doll Display at the Meguro Gajoen. 
This hotel is a piece of Tokyo history in and of itself.  It was built in 1931, when Tokyo was recovering from the devastating 1923 Kanto earthquake. Houses were cramped and barely equipped with electricity and running water, and the average person probably led a wretched life. In addition, home decorations available to the common person were limited.  The owner of this hotel, however, had a grand vision of creating a fairyland of sorts in his rooms.  He added on as he could afford, and created a beautiful building that not only served as a hotel but also housed banquets and weddings.
During World War II, the old Gajoen received notice to evacuate to the U.S.Marine, so that this part of Tokyo could escape damage.
In 1988, they had to tear down part of the old Gajoen because of Meguro River improvement work.  The Meguro River runs right next to it.   Many of the art works were removed and reattached to the new building. The only remaining part of the old building is the white part of the building, directly above where the kids are standing.  The rest of the building is new and reminiscent of the New York City Plaza Hotel.
Just a little taste of what the Hina Matsuri Doll display is going to contain.

Hyakudan kaidan
 Of the original building, only the "Stairway of 100 Steps" and a few rooms remain of the existing old gajoen.  This part of the hotel is where the doll display was located.  Unfortunately, photographs were prohibited, so the pictures of the original hotel and the hina dolls are from the internet.   As we gradually climbed the stairs, occasionally stepping to the right to enter a room full of dolls, we were able to notice the old glass and the workmanship of the 1931 construction of the old gajoen.  It was a noticeable difference from how things are built today and fun to see. 
As you can see, the original owner succeeded in his desire to create a fairyland of sorts!  There are seven rooms in all, and words cannot describe them!  They are absolutely exquisite in every sense of the word.  The amount of artwork, wood craftsmanship, and attention to detail in each room takes the viewer's breath away. 
Each room was different, but each had artwork on the walls and ceilings, along with tatami mats on the floors.  Before climbing the steps to begin the tour, there was a place where we had to take off our shoes and put them in grocery bags to carry them with us throughout the display.  They had adult size (for a man) brown slippers for everyone to use.  These large slippers were a little frustrating for Nathan and Audra, especially with all the stairs that we had to climb.
Being able to view each of the gorgeous rooms was an incredible experience in and of itself.  Adding the Hina Matsuri dolls into the mix made going to this display a real treat.  Each room had several displays of the dolls for us to look at. 

These dolls are a part of the celebration of Hina Matsuri Day on March 3rd.  Also dubbed Girls’ Day, hina-matsuri annually celebrates girls by displaying a set of hina dolls and their props in the house, wishing girls healthy growth and happiness. Traditionally, parents buy a set of dolls for a newborn girl and some particular dolls are also passed on from generation to generation.

Some of the displays we saw showed the dolls in wooden houses.  Others had them on tiers.

The display dolls are not just generic – they actually represent the Emperor, Empress, attendants and musicians attired in traditional court dress of the Heian Period (794-1192).
Back in those days, dolls were believed to possess some bad spirits, so straw versions were commonly set afloat on a boat to sea, purging them of the evilness. Nowadays, sending dolls out to sea is seldom practiced around the country, but rather they’re simply displayed starting in February and taken down immediately following March 3. Rumor is, if the dolls are not taken down right away, the daughter is doomed to eternal singledom…
Most of the displays we saw were on a seven-tiered platform.  The top tier is reserved for the emperor and the empress. A miniature gilded folding screen is placed behind them, just like the real Imperial throne of the ancient court.  On the second tier are three ladies-in-waiting, and on the third are five male court musicians. Ministers sit on either side of trays of food on the fourth step, and the fifth row features guards flanked by an orange tree to the left and a blossoming cherry tree to the right.
It is common for Japanese girls to also have several items for their dolls such as drums, tea sets, and kimono boxes.  These will be displayed on the bottom tiers.
I have read that Girls' Day (3/5) and Boys' Day (5/5) are starting to be combined and celebrated together as "Children's Day".  I can't find any definite information on this, but if that's the case, it would be a real shame.  Hina Matsuri dolls are a wonderful long-held part of Japanese history, and one that we simply love!
 It was hard to leave the doll display, but we had to find a bathroom for Audra Mae.  We found the bathroom, and ended up wandering around the hotel for a bit.  The hotel is beautiful, with fans on the ceiling....
 ...and carved works of art on the walls.
 .


There were also some portable shrines on display.
 Near a bridal shop, there were several of these dresses.  A closer inspection lets you know that these dresses are made entirely from balloons.  Crazy!
 Audra fell in love with this dress.  It was hers!  She wouldn't leave it, and I had pick her up and carry her away kicking and screaming.
What an amazing hotel!  From the breathtaking part of the old hotel to the amazing hina doll display to the beautiful new part of the hotel, we were enamored with all that we saw. 
 On the way back to the metro, we passed a temple.  The kids wanted to stop, so we did for a bit.  Here is Chris helping Nathan ring the bell after putting his coin in the box. 
 These grounds were interesting to look at because there were many different statues.  The whole left wall was covered in rows and rows of statues. 
What a great day!  I had been looking forward to the hina doll display for several weeks, and I was not disappointed! 

Here's what the kids thought about the day:
Caitlin:  The dolls were really beautiful.  I like the way each set is unique, but they all have the same characters.  The hotel is quite beautiful.  I might have to go back there when I'm President of the U.S. 
Tayla:  The dolls were really, really pretty.  I like the Empress ones the best.  I really liked the paintings in the hotel.  The rooms we went in were exquisite.  I liked how they were all different.  I also liked the fans that were painted on the ceiling and the wooden carvings on the wall of women in kimonos.  I thought that the dresses made out of balloons were really weird.  I think the hina dolls were really pretty and I want to someday get a set.
Christopher:  It was cool.  The hotel was really, really big.  The dolls were really pretty and they were really cool.  The set-ups they had were beautiful and awesome.  All of the dolls were different, but some of the dolls looked almost the same.  The hotel was pretty and unique. 
Logan:  The dolls were really, really beautiful.  Some were old, new, large, and small.  The kimonos on the hina dolls had different designs on them.  Every single one was different.  They were all exquisite.  Some had buns, crowns, and headdresses on top of their head.  Every one would take me about two years to make.  You could tell which accessories belonged to which doll.  The accessories were all beautiful and unique.  The emperor and empress on the seventh stair were some of the prettiest dolls.  The carvings on the walls were unique.  The walls were so detailed in their colors.  The ceiling was pretty with the fans.
Nathan:  It was o.k.  The slippers, I had to take them off a lot when we got to the stairs.  My feet got really cold doing that.  The hina dolls were girlish to me.  The paintings were painty. 
Audra:  I don't like the dolls.  They scary.  But Kirstin love them.   

Friday, February 20, 2015

Sisters

We were riding the metro back from somewhere, and had to be on it for about 45 min.  It was around bedtime, so Audra climbed up into Big Sis' lap and fell asleep.  Caitlin fell asleep also. I just thought it was cute.

Valentine's Day Date--Rainbow Bridge

 We got back from the plum blossom festival much sooner than we had planned, so we decided to get the kids comfortable and then go back out just the two of us.  We decided to go check out Rainbow Bridge at night.  This is something on the list of things to do as a family, but we could do it again with them later on.
The google map app gave the wrong directions on how to get there, so we had a hard time.  We made it, though--and it was worth it!  We found these steps with pink hearts on them--very appropriate for Valentine's Day!
 Rainbow Bridge is a breathtaking sight at night, with Tokyo Tower lit up in the background.  Instead of the usual orange, the tower boasted a pink color in favor of the holiday.  Rainbow Bridge connects Tokyo to the man-made island of Odaiba.
 The cheesy couple picture, with Rainbow Bridge in the background.
 Recognize her?  She has little to do with the original Statue of Liberty that is in New York, however.  It is a replica of one that was put here on Odaiba to celebrate Japan`s ties with France; it was only here for one year, 1998-1999.  It was so popular however, that they made another one and put it back up in 2000.  This statue has been enjoying the amazing views from her platform since then.
 Dinner boats floating around in the bay.


 We walked along for a bit, enjoying the awesome view and talking about life after Tokyo.
All too soon, it was time to get back on the bus to return to the metro.  What a beautiful night with breathtaking views!  Can't wait to bring the kids back here!