Rikugien Garden

On Tuesday October 16th I went to the Rikugien garden with two of my friends (one of them is also in Exploring Tokyo and the other is a friend from our study abroad program). We meet at Takadonobaba station at around 9:30, and then took the JR line to Komagome. That was my first time going beyond Ikebukuro, so I was excited to see what that section of Tokyo looked like. It really amazes me how diverse Tokyo is. I haven't been to very many big cities (or have stayed in a big city for an extended period of time), but I was surprised at how diverse the neighborhoods/sections in Tokyo are. Of course different sections of Tokyo have similarities (same stores, similar looking buildings, etc.), but so far every section of Tokyo I've been to has been a bit different, has had it's own style and atmosphere. At least I think so anyway.

The Komagome station area was pretty calm (since it was the morning I guess). We weren't exactly sure how to get to the garden (we knew it was close but the maps were a bit confusing), so we ended up asking a cashier at a bakery for directions (we also bought bread there which was delicious). The Komagome area wasn't as hip or exciting as other sections of Tokyo, but it was still nice. After about a five minute walk we arrived at the main entrance of the garden. The woman working there was pretty friendly, and gave us English maps.

It was a beautiful morning; not too hot or cool, and the sky was clear blue. The overall atmosphere there was very calming. A lot of wildlife (birds, fish, turtles) could be seen and heard. Rikugien wasn't very crowded when we went. Most of the people visiting the garden were elderly, although there were a few younger looking families with young children. Not very many people were walking around either; most of them were quietly sitting on benches in the shade gazing at the garden and some were taking pictures. I'm assuming most of them come to the garden to relax and view the nature there. I'm curious as to if anyone pays the 300 yen entrance fee often to go there, or if most of them were there for the first time.

The main focus of the garden seems to be on the large pond which is practically in the middle of the garden. There was also a small island (which was connected to the path but we couldn't walk on to) that seemed central as well. As Mansfield points out, at Rikugien "88 scenes described in the 31-syllable poetry known as waka" are recreated in the landscape (Mansfield 77). I was impressed when I first read this. No wonder it took seven years for the garden to be completed! I guess the garden was created with the intention for people who wanted to see those scenes but couldn't actually go to the real places. Although it would have been interesting to take the time and find all 88 scenes in the garden (which are located on a map near the entrance I believe. There are also some signs throughout the garden marking where these scenes are), we were not that ambitious. But we did take our time strolling around and taking in all the trees, bushes, and wildlife around us. Of course beyond the line of trees buildings were noticeable (and I don't think the garden was made with the intention of incorporating the outside buildings into the design, shakkei) and city noises penetrated the calm of the garden every once in a while. But after living in Tokyo for more than a month I've become used to such things and end up not paying attention to the noise when I'm in a garden or shrine, etc.

 
As we walked around the garden, it was amazing to note how the picture/scenery you looked at changed when you moved from one place to another. I guess this is pretty obvious, but that point really struck me while I was there (I feel like I ended up taking twenty different pictures of the same thing...haha). I also noticed that the leaves were starting to change colors, an event called koyou in Japanese. I would really like to go back to the garden during other seasons (and I wonder how crowded it gets during certain seasons).
While walking we noticed a tea shop which sold match tea and a snack for 500 yen so we decided to take a break and drink some tea as we sat under a red umbrella and looked at the scenery. The tea was great and the mochi(?) snack was delicious. That was my first real matcha tea in Japan! We walked around some more after drinking our tea (and spent some time at a waterfall/rocky area which was breathtakingly beautiful; my favorite section of the garden probably) and then left the garden after spending a little more than an hour and a half there. Although the nature at Rikugien isn't technically "natural" (since it was man made), that didn't make the area any less beautiful or amazing.