March 28th and my thoughts were about having Indian curry for lunch. I headed through a mostly empty Ikebukuro Station. This was highly unusual for what is normally one of the busiest train stations in the world.
It was the start of Tokyo's stay home policy in trying to protect people from the virus. So many shops were shuttered.
Since I did need to eat and my room did not have anything to cook with, I took the Yurakucho Line to where I had hoped I could get lunch. Once again, lots of room and social distancing on the train.
Unfortunately the restaurant was closed. So I decided to take a walk through a place I had thought about visiting before. 雑司ヶ谷霊園, Zoshigaya Cemetery.
Established in 1874, the Tokyo Metropolitan government opened Zoshigaya Cemetery as a public cemetery.
Something notable of the cemetery is the number of Japanese writers, artists and people of historical importance that have been laid to rest here.
For many walking through a cemetery isn't their idea of a place to go, but during this pandemic time, it was a way to be outside in a spacious area with interesting things to see.
While many of the grave markers are Japanese, there are western style touches here.
The cemetery is also a place with beautiful flowers.
Including gorgeous sakura flowers.
Which remind one of the impermanence of life.
Like Aoyama Cemetery, there are a few western style graves here.
One noted site is for Catholic nuns of the Society of Sacred Heart in Japan. The graves are for nuns who passed away, during the time from 1916 to 1953.
There was one grave I was interested in seeing. 小泉 八雲,Koizumi Yakumo. Better known to westerners as Lafcadio Hearn, a writer who opened up a lot of Japan to people unable to travel there back in the late 19th century.
I will finish my post with a few photos of the beautiful flowers in and near by the Zoshigaya Cemetery.
And of course the gorgeous sakura trees.
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