Shoshuniji and Taichoji Temples in Yoyogi

Remember my post about eating curry at Potohar again? Of course I took a walk afterwards. Through the same area I walked a year prior. The Bunka Fashion College which is right by Potohar. 

 Just an aside, since I saw a cloud like this recently. Turns out this formation is rare. It's called a cirrus vertebratus because it looks like a spine. So now I've seen one in Oregon and one in Yoyogi, Japan.

Under those clouds, I walked the greenway again. Sadly the sakura were not blooming yet. 

But that did allow some nice glimpses of the temples nearby. 

Which I visited again. This is Shoshuniji Buddhist Temple. 

 Where a few ume, plum, blossoms were still blooming.

This time I decided to take a better look at the hondo at Shohuniji.  

My telephoto lens on my camera gave me nice shots of the komainu on the roof. 

Along with a carved bird at the center of the roof lintel. I will assume it is probably a hou-ou, a phoenix.

Also on the grounds of Shoshuniji was this delightful pair of stone fish. 

More ume on this tree in a rather bare part of the grounds. Perhaps it is an attempt to distract from the not so attractive Metropolitan Expressway. 

Over to the other temple here, there was sakura blooming with this little kawazu-zakura. I want one of these little trees.

More ume showing off. I'm glad I was able to see some during my visit. 

And the hondo for Taichoji Buddhist Temple. 

Gorgeous tree growing so big it's run out of space. 

And the entrance mon or gate. Still closed. This is a view from the inside, to contrast with the surrounding buildings. 

The modern structures really overwhelm in this area. Like the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. 

And the NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building. 

I will say the good thing about these skyscrapers is they help in knowing what direction you are headed if you are walking in the area. And that clock is helpful too.

My previous post from the year before about these temples is here in case you want to know a little more about them: http://blukats.blogspot.com/2018/08/temples-and-shrines-in-yoyogi-shibuya.html

Kyu-naka-gawa and Kawazu-zakura

During my trip to Tokyo in March, there was one thing that I wanted to do. Besides of course enjoying good music. So on one of the days prior to the concerts, I set out to do that one thing. Even though the sky over Ikebukuro was cloudy. 

I headed to a place that isn't a usual tourist destination. Edogawa. But I find it relaxing to get away to the less busy places in Tokyo. Taking the JR Tobu line I ended up outside of Hirai Station. 

Where I stopped in at the local MOS Burger for a little refreshment before my long walk. 

Getting to the place I wanted to be required walking through a mixed residential and business area. Not much of interest to see, but there was one impressive Large-bill Crow.

Finally I reach this pathway. 

 Which leads to the Fureai-bashi (bridge). But I'm not going across it. Instead I went down below it.

Which is where you will find this. 

Still cloudy overhead but I hoped for some clearing. 

Even with that, the Kawazu-zakura were beautiful. 

These are early blooming sakura trees and their location along the Kyu-naka-gawa or Kyunaka River is wonderful. 

The trees attract a lot of birds. These are probably Brown-eared Bulbul. 

 I walked under the train bridge to get a close-up of Sky Tree. I still haven't visited it. I would have more photos of it here, but this post and my trip to Edogawa was about the sakura.

Looking back under the railroad bridge. I was surprised there weren't more people here, but then it was a working day. It really was a lovely place to be. 

The Fureai bashi with a little more sunlight. The clouds were finally giving up a little. 

I was reminded of how the year before I also was able to view the moon during the day through sakura blossoms. 

There are a few more photos in this post than normal, but even this doesn't express how moved I was this day by the beauty of these trees and flowers. 

This little bit of enchantment is located in Edogawa by the Fureai bridge that crosses the Kyunaka River. If you use the Hirai Station to get there, it puts you on the right side of the river.