Visiting Hiratsuka-jinja Again

After Kyu Furukawa, I headed back to the train station. But I did take a few photos along the way. 

And I decided my path to the station would include seeing Hiratsuka-jinja again. Here is my previous blog post about this shrine. 

I paused at the old Inari Shrine. I still do not know how old these kitsune are, but since the main shrine was established in the Heian period and parts escaped damage in WWII, they have been around for a while. Of course they could have also suffered damage in an earthquake or two. It happens. 

Since I had more knowledge about the place since my last visit, I thought I would see if there was more I could view. I attempted to take a photo of the area behind the Haiden, since this is the area where the armor of the three Genji Brothers was buried back in the day. The mound that isn't really a mound. It is pretty much impossible to view anything back there.

Although you can view the great carvings on the outer Haiden. 

Komainu guarding the god Hachiman, god of archery and war. 

I think this pair is still my favorite of all the komainu I have seen. 

This is actually a lot of bell or suzu pulls for a shrine of this size. The place does get it's share of worshipers. 

A covered hallway or wall connects the Haiden to the Kagura-den building. 

And behind it all is the Honden. I do not know if this is for Hachiman or if it the shrine for the Genji Brothers armor. It is all still a little mysterious.

Kyu Furukawa's Japanese Garden and Tea

There are two gardens at Kyu Furukawa. The Western garden with it's controlled spaces and roses, and the more rambling and natural Japanese garden. And of course I took a walk through that. 

Over the meandering streams. 

Where snapping turtles live. 

Out to the Kokoro Heart pond. 

Where colorful koi greeted me. 

Under shapely trees. 

And another beautiful blue sky draped with white filmy clouds. 

Where hydrangea glowed. 

And sunlight played with the green leaves of trees. 

Trees that arched overhead in an attempt to bring coolness to the hot humid day. 

And to my surprise, the Japanese Tea House was open. 

Of course I went in. I couldn't miss this chance to take photos of it. I'd viewed it from afar my two previous visits. 

Along with the opportunity to partake of traditional Japanese tea. 

Delicate sweets, wagashi, offered as part of the service. 

Along with a delicious bowl of matcha. It had been a long time since I participated in a tea ceremony and I didn't remember much as to what I should do. But it was a nice moment to enjoy in the quiet of the garden.

One last look at the Kokoro Pond. 

And one last look at the house. 

I did not take photos of the vendor booths that were there. I did buy a couple items. I didn't pack a tote bag and I was thinking I really needed one for an upcoming event. Lucky for me there was this inexpensive canvas tote that fit what I needed. 

And I knew if I didn't buy this charm I would be regretting it. Me and my love for nonexistent real blue roses goes way back to my childhood. Of course it's also something in the present.

The Rose Garden at Kyu Furukawa

My third day in Tokyo in May, counting the day I arrived, was hot with beautiful skies. But not the worst heat. I was determined to go to a place I had been to before.  

Along the way hydrangea had begun to bloom. 

And I arrived at Kyu Furukawa Gardens. This was my third visit there and they say, third time's the charm. I was about to find out if this was true.

I do know this was the most crowded I had seen Kyu Furukawa. 

Still, it was as charming as I had seen it the two times before. 

The reason for the crowds was because the flowers were in bloom. 

Although personally I kind of like the spookiness of the place. It makes me think of ghost stories and more. 

But today was not about ghost stories. It was about a garden. 

The Kyu Furukawa rose garden. 

I was finally getting a chance to see the roses.

The reason so many people were there. 

Besides the roses, the azaleas were starting to show their color. 

I did spend some time taking photos of roses. Those will eventual wander out on my Twitter. But for here, there will be more recapping of my recent trip to Tokyo. Which included tea.