Category: LOVE Shinjuku

The Sudden Summer Rain

Thunder storms excite me to no end.
We had a sudden storm on Sunday. I was just coming out of the supermarket when it started to rain a little and I thought, oh I’ll wait it out because I didn’t bring an umbrella with me. But then, it started thundering and the rain got stronger and stronger. And the power of the storm was so electrifying, I couldn’t help myself. I walked out into the storm.
Needless to say I got SOAKED!!! But it was awesome. The warm summer rain felt really great. And I wasn’t the only one walking around in the storm. I passed a couple of people without an umbrella and we just grinned at each other.
By the time I got home…the rain was still pouring but the sky was unbelievably blue. So where was the rain coming from? Who knows. All I know is I had a great time getting wet in the rain.
Hope you all get a summer storm or two to enjoy, too! x

The Rainy Season Has Begun

Actually the rainy season in Tokyo was officially announced on May 29 this year.
And as usual, the minute they announce the start of the rainy season…it stops raining. Weird how that works. We’ve really had mostly sunny days since we hit rainy season. So sunny, in fact, that I already have quite the sun tan from just walking to and from work.
But it seems the rainy season is finally upon us. The forecast for this week is rain everyday…and as much as I love waking up to a sunny morning, I’m glad it’s raining.
Because the beautiful hydrangeas are in full bloom and nothing compliments them better than rain. And yes, this is just my opinion. But look how pretty they look with the raindrops!
Happy rainy season 😀

The Afternoon Walk on Saturday

Some days are too gorgeous not to be outside!
Saturday was one of those days. It was glorious outside and I started my walk from Harajuku and before I knew it, I was in Shinjuku. Of course I stopped here and there to take pictures along the way.
My old boss used to tell me that a true real estate businessman goes out and walks around the streets to get to know the area. He said that no amount of research can exceed the power of seeing through your eyes and interacting with local people. And although I did lift an eyebrow at the use of the word “businessman (Hello? I am a woman.),” I have to agree. Every time I walk down a new street I learn something new about that area.
Like this weekend, I never realized how close Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium was to Shinjuku Gyoen, my favorite park. I’ve started working out lately (kind of) so it was really interesting seeing the facilities there. They have a pool and gym that are open to the public when the gymnasium is not used for events…they even had a basketball hoop with a half court. Made me wish I could actually play basketball.
I also couldn’t resist stepping into Shinjuku Gyoen for a bit. I was just enjoying all the green sprouting everywhere in the park when I remembered Rurousha’s azalea post. So off I went looking for azaleas! (You can see what I found below in the pictures!) After the azaleas, it felt so good under the sun that I ended up taking a little nap in the field. Actually, it may have been a deep sleep. Not too sure but it felt great. And it was all worth having pieces of grass and bits of dirt all over my dress and hair. Ha.
Here are the pictures:

Azaleas decorating every other street.

Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium looks UFO-ish, don’t you think?

Shinjuku Gyoen was multiple shades of green…so gorgeous.

The azalea garden was a bright burst of color in this corner of Shinjuku Gyoen.

Quite the change from this view but I love this, too.

I am addicted to these homemade granola bars…this one is cranberry, raisin, and chocolate.

Never one to miss a chance to walk barefooted.
If this great weather keeps up, afternoon naps in the park may become a weekly thing!

The History of the Dogwood

As the cherry blossom season slowly comes to and end
the flowering dogwood starts to bloom.
I find this timing to be very fitting.
A lot of people know the history of how Japan
sent cherry trees to Washington DC in 1912.
A total of 3,020 trees, to be exact.
If we’re going to be even more specific
it was the city of Tokyo that sent the trees.
This was after learning that the First Lady Taft
was planning on planting cherry trees in Washington DC.
2,000 cherry trees were actually first sent in 1910
but they realized that the trees were infested
and they had to be burned.
So Japan sent another batch of cherry trees in 1912
which are the cherry trees that are currently growing in DC.
So we all know of this story and
how famous the cherry trees are in DC.
Did you know that the U.S. gave us back a tree?
(Am I the only one who didn’t know???)
That’s right.
They gave us the beautiful dogwood tree
as a token of thanks in 1915.
So the fact that the dogwood flowers start to bloom after
our cherry blossoms seems fitting some how.
And also coincidentally, dogwood means
“returning thanks” in flower language.
Or maybe it’s not a coincidence? 😀

The Surprisingly Long Sakura Season

It’s been super cold and gloomy in Tokyo.
It even rained some days.
I’ve really missed sunny days.
But you know what?
The cold weather has kept the cherry blossoms
from hitting full bloom too soon.
And so when I walked along the river today
this is what I saw…still in bloom!
Sometimes gloomy weather is a blessing.
I’ll be travelling this weekend so
I’m glad I got to see such pretty sakura
under the blue sky one last time 😀

The Sakura in Shinjuku Gyoen

My love for this gorgeous park just grows and grows.
I heard that Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden was in full bloom
and couldn’t pass up the chance of seeing it all myself 🙂

Shinjuku Gyoen has over 1,300 cherry trees within the park.
About 420 trees are the ever popular Somei Yoshino.
But what’s so great about this place is that
they have SO MANY different types of cherry trees.
You can enjoy an array of colors and shapes.
And the greatest thing about it is
you can enjoy the cherry blossoms for a longer time
because they all reach full bloom at different times…YAY!!!

And tell me if this beautiful reflection on the lake
doesn’t make you want to run to Shinjuku Gyoen right now? ;D

The Season of Sakura Spam

The season is finally here!!!

The season that makes me leave for work extra early
because I take tons of pictures on my way.
The season that we wait for all year to come
and we make hanami plans according to the hanami forecast
and then it gets warm super early and everyone is hustling to reschedule.

So prepare to be spammed.
Sakura spammed.

The Green Striped Flats

Are you wearing green?
I wore my green striped flats today.
Today is St. Patrick’s Day and there were parades to celebrate
in various parts of Japan, including Tokyo, today!
You might wonder why in the world we celebrate
St. Patrick’s Day in Japan.
Well, besides the fact that Japan loves Irish beer,
the Irish have made many contributions to Japan in the past.
I learned from the Irish Embassy website that the first record of
an Irish person setting foot in Japan was way back in 1704.
Also, in 1906 an Irish reverend, who was teaching at Keio Univesity,
brought the sport hockey into Japan by teaching his students how to play.
The Japanese university hockey league currently has
24 men’s teams and 16 women’s teams.
And did you know that the first version of our national anthem
was composed by an Irish bandmaster who trained brass bands by soldiers?
It’s not the national anthem we sing now
but still, that is a pretty big deal.
Oh, and we can’t forget the talented Irish architect
who designed the street plan for Ginza after the fire of 1872.
No wonder the streets of Ginza were so modern!
I really had no idea Japan and Ireland has so many connections.
I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland
to explore their rolling hills and beautiful scenery.
But learning about our history
makes me want to visit even more now!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!

The Lunch Break at the Park

It got so much warmer outside all of a sudden!
No chills when stepping out of the house.
No more winter stockings.
(PS: I was so happy I actually threw them all out!)
(PPS: I may regret it later but it felt good!)
So so wonderful.
Gorgeous days like this call out to me.
I feel the need to go outside and bask under the sunlight.
So…I did!!!
I made a mad dash to Shinjuku Gyoen
during my lunch break one day.
It was GREAT!!!
I love the calm and beauty of this place.
So relaxing under the sun.
You can bet once I got there
I was dragging my feet going back to the office.

Oh and the pink plum blossoms were still in bloom!
They smell really sweet.
Did you know?
I took so much time taking pictures
and sniffing all the blossoms
that I had to make another mad dash across the grass.
Running barefoot felt AMAZING!
Seriously.
Best lunch break ever.