row, row, row, your boat...

The Imperial Palace (built in 1888) is right in the heart of Tokyo. Kind of like the Belvedere Castle is located in Central Park, New York except that this is way bigger & more grand.

The Palace consists of beautiful gardens & massive stone walls & of course...moats!
On Easter Sunday, we went to admire the sakura in the gardens of the Imperial Palace. We rented 2 boats to row in the moat. Something which was more difficult than it looks.
Niklas & I took turns. We couldn't get the boat to go straight! Kept going in circles or whatever direction depending on who is rowing since Niklas is left-handed & I, right.
Occasionally, we crashed into the lowbranches of cherry blossoms, that were hanging down into the moat. We now have great admiration for anyone who rows!
Then we strolled through the gardens & rested while the kids hunt for their Easter goodies which we hid in the bushes & trees. More Easter goodies than Easter eggs!

Sadly, the cherry blossoms have almost reached their peaks & most petals were on the ground. We now get "pink snow" whenever ther's a breeze.



From top left & clockwise :

1) A drinking fountain with fallen blooms.2) Giant dumpling sold by a vendor, along the moat. Really yummy!
3) One of the many various designs of manhole covers in Japan.
4) Sakura designs on iron border, around the trees.




If you are not tired of seeing pics of flowers, here they are!
It was the first time we saw green cherry blossoms. Can you see the white swan on the moat?

Click on any pic for an enlarged view.

Sakura Sakura

Hanami (flower viewing) is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers (hana).

In this case, it is normally refering to the cherry blossoms (sakura). From mid January to early May, sakura bloom all over Japan. It reaches us here in Tokyo, in late March.











Hanami mostly consists of having an outdoor party beneath the sakura during daytime or at night.

Each year, we would go for a nice relaxing walk & bicycle ride, along this beautiful path, which is right in our neighbourhood.












Some dramatic sakuras.
,,,

Spring Colours

These past weeks, I've been having spring/hay fever. My eyes are hurting & I've been sneezing my head off! Meanwhile, the cherry blossoms are starting to bloom in Tokyo & soon, I'll be taking hundreds of pics of these blossoms.

These are things we like in spring :
- Annika's new felt purse for school

- Egg-shaped Kokeshi dolls displayed in a restaurant.

- Egg & Chick. A felt-sewing craft with Annika's 3rd Grade class.

- This pair of bunnies "walk" when you squeeze fingers into its legs & make them walk - which you can't tell since I didn't take any pics of the back.

Home sweet home

After being away, it is always good to come home, especially to this - our beautiful ume (plum) tree in full bloom!

These flowers means spring is really here although on some days, we still need the down jacket!










The plum blossoms (ume) have 5 oval shaped petals. Most range from white to dark pink & have a fantastic fragrance.

The cherry blossoms (sakura) has 5 round petals with a split at the edge.Though looking fantastic, there is no scent.

See, I didn't know these before living in Japan!

So many people, not so many flowers

Hanegi Park in Setagaya, is known for its 700 plum trees, although you can't tell from these photos here.

We saw more people & straw mats than anything else. There was also a trio of old men, renting out mats for your picnic.

By the time we visited this park, most of the blossoms were gone, due to the unusual warm but brief summer temperature. The following days, we were back to wearing jackets - really strange weather!






The walk to & fro our home to Hanegi Park was enjoyable as usual.

There are always eye-catching moments!

First buds, first bloom!

You never get tired of seeing these - our "ume" (plum) tree slowly coming into bloom.

Today, this tiny bud bloomed.

Soon, (bottom last pic) it will bloom more & this is what I will see when I look out of my sewing studio, which is right behind those glass doors.

Soon, it will be spring!

Cycling on a Sunday

On a little street in Tokyo,
in our neighbourhood....

Some trees were soooo old, they had to be propped up!

Sadly, the strong winds we've had in the past days, meant that the trees were not as pink & fluffy! There were many petals on the ground instead.

Hanami Picnic at Kinuta Park - a beautiful day !

After school, we headed for Kinuta Park to find that thousands of people had the same idea - to have a picnic on a Wednesday afternoon! Luckily the park was huge enough for all of us.

There was also enough cherry blossoms to share since there's about 1000 beautiful trees in this park! We ate yummy Sakura Mochi - made from chewy-soft glutinous rice, pounded into flour, filled with bean paste & shaped into petals.

"Hana" means flower & "mi" means to view. Do click on the image to see the full size photo.

Pink! Pink! Pink!

Pink blooms right outside & the fragrance is as pretty as the flowers. When I look up while working in my studio, I can see them throught the sliding doors. Perfect for inspiration! Sadly when the winds comes by, the delicate petals falls.

Delicate Steps in Tokyo ...

2 years ago, Martin & I went to look for a new home, our first steps together in Japan. This was what greeted us, when we first saw the home we wanted. And again, this is what greeted us, when we returned home after a week in the mountains.

And back to my studio, after being away for a week.

This piece is "Delicate Steps in Tokyo".
You can see more of this necklace in my Etsy store.