A Walk around Rikugien Gardens (Part 3) / 六儀園の散歩 (パート３）

You know you can spend all day at these beautiful gardens and never get bored.  Here are the next batch of scenic viewpoints at Rikugien Gardens before I took a tea break at one of the chayas.

こういう歴史がある庭園の散歩は全然飽きないですね。園内の茶屋で休憩する前で見に行った場所を紹介します。

Tsutsuji-no-chaya / つつじの茶屋

This teahouse was built using the wood of old trees during the Meiji period.  It managed to survive the war and at the present time is still a site of great attraction because of its rare and beautiful form that can be seen at its best when maples turn red in the fall.

明治年間、つつじの古木材を用いて建てられたものです。戦災をまぬがれ、現代その希少な姿を伝えてます。モミジの紅葉が見事です。

Mine-no-hanazono / 峰花園

Hanato komichi / 尋芳径 （はなとうこみち）

The Hanato komichi is also one of Rikugien's "88 Views of Rikugien".

Site of Ginka-tei ("88 Views of Rikugien" No.51) / 吟化亭跡 六儀園八十八境 五十一

It is believed that the Ginka-tei was built primarily for the purpose of hanami (cherry blossom viewing).

作庭当時、この付近で吟化（華）亭が作られ、お花見をするための場所として使われていたようです。

No, this wasn't taken from the site of the Gnika-tei but near the teahouse where I took a short break.

いえ、この桜は吟化亭から撮った写真ではございません。休憩した茶屋の近くの桜の木です。

Fukiage-no-hama and Fukiage-no-matsu (the old pine tree) ("88 Views of Rikugien No. 63 & 64) / 吹上浜と吹上の松 「六儀園八十八境」 六十三・六十四

Fukiage-no-chaya / 吹上茶屋


This is where I took a short break and had some matcha and japanese sweets while checking out the cherry blossoms and other views.

ここで抹茶と和菓子をいただいて、一休みをしました。

Enjoying more cherry blossoms before my final stint around the gardens.

休憩の後、桜を楽しみ、そして六儀園の最後の見所を探索しました。


To be continued...

つづく。。。

A Walk around Rikugien Gardens (Part 2) / 六儀園の散歩 （パート２）

Continuing my walk around the Rikugien Gardens.  Although I was provided with a guide for the park, I wandered around aimlessly at first not reading up on its history until I found a nice place to sit to read up on it.

六儀園の散歩のつづき。ガイドもありましたが、最初はなんの目的もなく、ただ歩いてるだけ。一休みをしたら、ガイドを読んで、それから真剣に見所をすべて探索しようと思いました。

Who wants to read when you have a view of the above?

上記の写真の景色を見れば、誰がガイドを読む？

It was after coming upon signs like these that I decided to take my walk a little more seriously.  I had stumbled upon one of the "88 Views of Rikugien" - the first being the "Deshio-no-minato" which is where I was standing when taking some of the photos above.  It is the name for the shore of the pond.

園内にこういうサインを見かけたあとから散歩をもっと真剣に歩くことにした。ここが「六儀園八十八境」 ⑬ 出汐湊 （でしおのみなと）。

Just beautiful! 

なんて美しい！

Togetsukyo : The stone bridge was named after a famous Waka poem about the view of the moon moving across the sky with the cry of a crane in a rice paddy heard nearby.

渡月橋 ： 「和歌のうら 芦辺の田鶴の鳴き声に 夜渡る月の 影そさひしき」の歌から名付けられた石の橋。２枚の大岩の重量感が、あたりの雰囲気を引き締めています。


The next point of interest I found myself at was the "Ashibe no chaya traces".  Chaya translates to teahouse.

次発見したのは「芦辺の茶屋跡」。

I then crossed this bridge but came back to it later as I also discovered this was another point of interest.  By the way, the explanations of the points of interest are either taken from the signs in the gardens or directly from the guide you are provided with at the entrance of the park.

この橋を渡ったあと、もう一回この場所に戻りました。ここも六儀園の見所の一つでした。 園内の見所の説明は入り口からもらったガイドから書きこんでるものです。

Next, I saw a sign pointing to the direction of the Fujishiro-toge.  The tallest hill in the gardens is 35m high.  The summit of this hill is called Fujimi-yama (Fuji-view peak).  The views from the top of the hill are truly wonderful.  The name for the hill is taken from a mountain pass of the same name in Kishu (present day Wakayama Prefecture).

歩き続いたら、次見つかったサインが藤代峠。もちろん行ってみるしかない。藤代峠：園内で一番高い築山、標高は３５ｍ。いただきは「富士見山」と呼ばれ、そこからは素晴らしい展望が開けています。紀州（現在和歌山県）にある同名の峠から名付けられました。

View from the summit of Fujishiro-toge / 藤代峠からの眺め

I came across a few of these stone pillars as well.  According to the guide, these are "Sekichu".  There were originally 88 stone markers that indicated views of the garden that were of special beauty or interest (The "88 Views of Rikugien").  At the present time, only 32 of the markers still exist.

また園内のあちこちにこういう石柱が建てられてます。 庭内の８８ヶ所景勝地（六儀園八十八境）には、それぞれに石柱が建てられていましたが、現在では３２ヶ所のみが残っています。

Yes, this path is another scenic viewpoint.  It is the "Sasakani-no-michi".  Ancient people referred to spiders as "sasakani".  The path is very narrow and therefore likened to a strand of a spider's web.

見所また発見 ‐ 蛛道　（ささがにのみち）古くはクモを「蛛（ささがに）」と呼び、この小道がクモの糸のように細いことから名付けられた。

This is site No. 86 of the "88 Views of Rikugien" - "Zenkei-no-nagare". 

六儀園八十八境 No.86 ‐ 「剡渓流（ぜんけいのながれ）」。

Back to the bridge I crossed earlier.  This is called the "Yamakage-bashi" and is also one of "88 Views of Rikugien" - No.85.

先渡った橋に戻った。この橋も六儀園八十八境の一つです。「山影橋」。

And the walk continues...

散歩がまだまだつづく。。。



A Walk around Rikugien Gardens (Part 1) / 六儀園の散歩 （パート１）

At the hanami in Yoyogi Park, one of my friends send the best place for cherry blossom viewing in his opinion was at the Rikugien Gardens in Komagome.  As I have never been there, I thought I would check it out after my appointment at the Kanto Chuo Hospital (which also has a nice park like area with the cherry blossoms in full bloom as you may have noticed in my previous post.

代々木公園の花見の時、一人の友達が東京で一番好きな桜の木の場所が駒込にある六儀園と言ってたんので、自分も行った事ないので、関東中央病院の外来の後に行ってみることにした。ちょうど病院の前の桜も満開で奇麗でした。以前のネタでお話ました。

As this is cherry blossom season, there was a long line to get in at this garden as well.  It wasn't quite as crowded as the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden and like Gyoen, once you're inside, the place is so spacious that you do not feel crowded at all.  The entrance fee to this garden is 300yen.

桜満開の季節なので、こちらの庭園の入り口も結構混雑してました。新宿御苑ほどではありませんが、似た様な感じでした。入園料は大人一人￥３００。広々した空間で込んでる感じがまったくしません。

I imagine you cannot read the English provided on the sign so I will copy it down here: 

Rikugien was established in 1702 by feudal lord Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, who was well known for his literary accomplishments.

The name Rikugien was taken from the six principles of composing Japanese waka poetry which were derived from an ancient Chinese book, "Mao-Chin".

It is typical "kai-yu" (go-round) style garden with 88 spots of literary significance arranged along a path surrounding a pond with an islet.

Cherry blossoms in bloom, but I am going to check out the large weeping cherry tree.  The path I am walking on is called the senrijyo (site of horse path).

桜が咲いてます、でも今日の目的は園内にあるしだれ桜。現在歩いてる道は“千里場”‐ 馬場として作られました。

Other flowers in bloom / 桜以外の花も咲いてました

Nice little bamboo grove / 奇麗な竹林

Gate leading to today's main event / この門の先にあのしだれ桜があります

This is what I came to see, the large weeping cherry tree in bloom.

今日の目当てはこのしだれ桜。

There are other cherry blossoms in the park but this is the main one.

園内に他の桜の木がありますが、やっぱりこのしだれ桜が主役ですね。



And now it's time to walk around the rest of the gardens.

しだれ桜が魅了的でした。さて、庭園の散歩がここから始まります。

The stone monument was built for the donation of the Rikugien Gardens from the Iwasaki family to Tokyo city government in 1938. 

The Naitei-Daimon (Inner Garden Gate) / 内庭大門

Japanese lantern / 燈籠

Gate to the Shinsen-tei and Gishun-tei (a small assembley hall and a traditional tea house).

新泉亭 （集会場）と宜春亭 （茶室）の入り口の門。

Shinsen-tei / 心泉亭

Gishun-tei / 宜春亭


There is still a lot more to see.  To be continued...

見所はまだいっぱいあります。つづく。。。