Tag Archives: Gardens

Field Report: Shikina-en Royal Garden, Naha, Japan (08 May 2018)

For the moment, let’s skip over our second full day in Okinawa – though I do hope to tell that tale in due course – and move straight into the third, when we visited a large garden that was the setting for a secondary palace of the Ryūkyūan royal family. Not a place where EastContinue reading “Field Report: Shikina-en Royal Garden, Naha, Japan (08 May 2018)”

Field Report: The Autumn Splendours of Arashiyama, Kyōto, Japan (26 November 2016)

The hills of the Arashiyama district are ablaze with colour every fall, transforming the northwestern reaches of Kyōto into a teeming hive of tourists. This particular season – out of the several autumns I’ve spent in Japan’s ancient capital – seemed the worst by far in terms of visitor overload, but it’s hard to complainContinue reading “Field Report: The Autumn Splendours of Arashiyama, Kyōto, Japan (26 November 2016)”

Field Report: Okayama Castle and Kōraku-en, Japan (20 November 2016)

I’m no stranger to Okayama, or its castle, or its magnificent garden. And there’s certainly a lot that one can say about all three … but as I’m itching to write about the Shikoku stage of this Japan adventure, let’s just pore over a few snapshots and be done with it.

Field Report: Ritsurin-kōen, Takamatsu, Japan (10 July 2015)

Sunny summer Shikoku skies – whew, now that’s a tongue-twister right there – gave me the perfect excuse to go on a day trip from the hustle and bustle of Ōsaka to the relative peace and calm of Takamatsu, capital of Japan’s smallest prefecture. Of course, the fact that the city had a splendid traditionalContinue reading “Field Report: Ritsurin-kōen, Takamatsu, Japan (10 July 2015)”

Field Report: The Gardens of the Adachi Museum of Art, Yasugi, Japan (07 July 2015)

Japan is replete with beautiful gardens, and it’s hard to imagine how any particular specimen – much less a relatively new arrival to the scene – could possibly stand above the many other horticultural masterpieces sprinkled across the country. Indeed, one might argue that no single Japanese garden can rightfully seize the crown of “undisputedContinue reading “Field Report: The Gardens of the Adachi Museum of Art, Yasugi, Japan (07 July 2015)”

Field Report: Facing the ghosts of warriors past at Hiraizumi, Japan (03 July 2015)

When I awoke one balmy July morning last year to find Tōkyō in the midst of a heavy shower, I settled upon a simple solution to salvage the day: flee hundreds of miles north to the sunnier, drier environs of Iwate Prefecture. There, I would soak up not summer rain but the glorious memories ofContinue reading “Field Report: Facing the ghosts of warriors past at Hiraizumi, Japan (03 July 2015)”

Field Report: A quiet garden stroll in Kenrokuen, Kanazawa, Japan (01 July 2015)

The last time I set my feet upon the winding paths of Kenrokuen, it was – if memory serves – a dreary, dim, cloudy day, with barely enough sunlight to see by and cold droplets of rain pelting my head at odd intervals. It was also – if memory serves – a uniquely peaceful andContinue reading “Field Report: A quiet garden stroll in Kenrokuen, Kanazawa, Japan (01 July 2015)”

Field Report: Suizen-ji Jōju-en, Kumamoto, Japan (27 March 2015)

Show-offery was serious business amongst the ruling class of Edo-period Japan. Since this was an age long before sports cars or private jets, one culturally refined way to outdo the neighbouring daimyō – short of setting fire to his castle and enslaving his entire household (which would have been just a tad uncouth) – wasContinue reading “Field Report: Suizen-ji Jōju-en, Kumamoto, Japan (27 March 2015)”