Ikebana and Beyond

 On a lovely stroll in the neighborhood of Azabu Juban I discovered a little unassuming book, that is now( other than Marcel) my best companion: "A Flower Lover's Guide to Tokyo" by Sumiko Enbutsu. I loved Enbutsu-san's introduction: "Appreciation of flowers is universal. It needs no language: smiles are enough to express the pleasure that we get from gazing at lovely blossoms and inhaling their fragrance." In Japan the changing seasons are marked by flowers: Cherry blossoms are certain sign of spring, Irises welcome summer, while Chrysanthemum and maples mark the beginning (Chrysanthemum) and end (Red maples) of Autumn.

This week, with my 2 wonderful companions (Marcel and my little book) I embarked on Chrysanthemum exploration. I now have a beautiful flower arrangement, from my last Ikabana class with beautiful big yellow Chrysanthmum. From  my Ikebana teacher Misako-san, I've learned the Japanese name of these beautiful flowers: Pingpong-kiku, or just Kiku.

Our first visit took us to Sinjuku Gyoen Garden.This garden, originally owned by a feudal lord, became an imperial property in 1879 and was landscaped in 1906 into a luxurious beautiful traditional Japanese garden. The Chrysanthemum show is being held at Sinjuku Gyoen annualy from Nov 1 to 15. The most impressive are the  cascade shaped and the dome shaped Chrisanthemum. I've read that the Dome shape style was first created in Sinjuku Gyoen in 1884. This magnificant sructure of hundreds flowers starts from one root! It takes a year to progressively advance from one root to 600-700 beautiful flowers.

The following day we headed to Yushima Tenjin Shrine, one of the oldest shrines in Tokyo. People come to this shrine to pray for academic success and to admire the beautiful Chrysanthemum in November. The day of our visit to the Shrine was gloriously sunny and we spent a very relaxing hour  observing the Shinto ceremony that took place in the Shrine, and admiring the brilliant flowers, in all shades of red, pink, yellow and white. I particularly loved the colourful cascades of flowers hung from a gently arched bridge.

I hope to share some more garden stories when it is  the time for the viewing of the Maple trees (Last week of Nov, first week of Dec.)

Until next time, Oyasoominesai (good night) from Tokyo

Pnina