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.

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.

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!

Spring is coming !

It’s grey, it’s raining but the cherry blossoms are coming out! I remembered when we first came to Tokyo to check out the city, in February 2006. We fell in love with our present home because there was ( & still is ! ) a beautiful plum tree, right outside our door. Well, not really right outside or we’ll have a hard time getting in & out !

Ok, the tree….It was beautiful already, when we first saw it in its bare state, with tiny buds struggling to come out into the cold. Today, the little pink buds are here again, already so pretty but "shy” with only a couple in bloom! Each year, we look forward to seeing this tree in full bloom & when the breeze comes, it will be like pink snow ! In Japanese, "ume" means plum.

First snow in the city !

This morning when the kids opened the door to leave for school … it was snowing ! Our first snow in the city since we moved here.

So pretty now, as I’m typing, with falling snow & the plum tree, just outside the window. Good thing it snowed here as I had promised my kids that it would snow in the city.

So exciting! If it had not, at some stage I would have to climb up the roof & throw paper confetti down!