March 16, Kairakuen

Posted on March 16, 2013 by ruthek

Plum blossoms at Kairakuen

At 8:30 last night I was so tired I couldn’t think. I decided I could wait until this morning to write the post. I fell into a sound sleep immediately then woke up at 3:39, wide awake. I took some time to organize my photos but tried to go back to sleep. Finally, at 6, with the sun coming up in my window, I’ve given up. It was a day full of adventures, some known as getting lost, others as not paying enough attention to details..

First, the garden. Kairakuen is classified as one of the three top gardens in Japan, the only one I hadn’t visited. It is located east of Tokyo and at the edge of the tsunami area from 2011, but seems to have suffered little or no damage.

Quoting from the brochure:

Kairakuen was built for not only feudal lords or feudal warriors but also for commoners. Therefore the design incorporates characteristics from modern parks as well as formal Japanese landscape gardens.

In early spring about 100 different types of plum trees bloom with a total of 3000 flowers making Kairakuen one of the three most famous parks of Japan.

It was created in the 1800’s by the ninth (and last) feudal lord of the Mito clan, Nariaki Tokugawa , who may have been motivated as much by the problems faced by the soon to crumble Tokugawa rulers as by any inherent altruism or generosity.

In addition to acres of plum trees the park has a small cedar forest with wonderful old trees, a bamboo grove and cherry blossoms. There is a structure called the Kobuntei and a tea house.

Cedar Forest

Bamboo Grove

This is the time of the plum blossom festival, ume matsuri. My original plan was to go on Tuesday, hoping it would be less crowded than on the weekend. As I watched the temperature rise in Japan I became worried about how long the blossoms would last, so I decided to go there first. There were plenty of blossoms, which have a lovely fragrance. They are beautful flowers, but small and with limited coverage of each branch, unlike the cherry blossoms that give the impression of being all over the tree.

Plum trees in the distance

As you can see the trees are planted with lots of space around them. The ground looked barren to me until I realized I was walking on a ground cover of pine needles. The festival includes an opportunity to attend a mammoth tea ceremony. The woman in the center is showing how to make the tea. Actual bowls of tea to drink are brought from a tent behind her. Each person is presented with a bowl, along with much bowing. The bowl is removed after a reasonable time for drinking, again with much bowing.

Tea Ceremony

Another long line was to have your picture taken with some people in costume. I’m not sure who they represented.

At the top of a gentle hill were several vendors selling perfume (plum blossom?), those ubiquitous gift boxes I am convinced line the closets of every home in Japan and another long line; this time to enter the Kobuntei, the structure built by Nariaki to entertain writers, artists and residents of his domain, where he would have poetry composing parties and other events. I don’t like standing in line but I got in that one and enjoyed seeing the building and the garden surrounding it.

Views from the Kobuntei

I did a lot of walking. There is an elevated train station very close to the hotel. Originally I walked right past it since it looks like just another building. When I finally found it I had to climb several flights of stairs to get to the station, which is old, several blocks long and might have an escalator or elevator at the other end. I knew the train was close and when I booked the hotel I thought I might be able to take the train , walk to the hotel and avoid a taxi ride. Reality hit when I arrived on Friday night. The airport train takes you to Tokyo station, a huge transfer point for many local trains. I would have had to transfer twice from there. Remember, I am dragging two suitcases on wheels, one in each hand. I found the nearest exit and got in the first taxi. I had a printout of the reservation that had some Japanese on it, but not enough. The taxi driver couldn’t figure out where to go. He finally stopped at a police box and got directions. It cost me about $14 and might have been the best $14 I ever spent. I never would have made it to the hotel with all those stairs.

I am ready to face my Sunday adventures, so more of all this later.

Next Flight

Posted on March 15, 2013 by ruthek

The flight to Chicago was uneventful. Returning to Chicago is always filled with nostalgia for me, and this time, a little shock. The airport in Pittsburgh is, unfortunately, a very quiet place, a little backwater. The organized chaos of O’Hare took me by surprise.

My first feeling I no longer knew how to proceed at O’Hare was quickly dispelled as I realized I had arrived at Terminal 2 and had to proceed through an inside revolving door to Terminal 3 to get my bag. It’s been that way for years. Originally a military airbase, called Orchard Field, I think O’Hare had only 2 terminals when it first opened as a civilian airport. It was quite small and served as a kind of satellite to Midway, which was the original Chicago airport. My first flight, in 1953, was out of Midway in a propeller plane. While I was in college I would sometimes drive out to Midway with a date and we would we would park along a fence and watch the planes take off, and amongst other things, sit and eat doughnut holes, sold at an outlet store for some doughnut manufacturer I no longer remember that was on the way..

Over the years O’Hare grew to 4 terminals with a Hilton Hotel in the center. They enlarged it further by putting a tunnel under the hotel and more areas for passengers to meet or depart from ground transportation. This is the part that’s been really confusing to me, but this time I finally figured it out.

I usually try to fly into Midway when I come to the city so I’ve had limited experience with O’Hare in recent years. So this was kind of fun.

The hotel shuttle returned me to O’Hare and I took the blue line train to downtown Chicago and met the grandchildren, who are no longer children, along with one of my dearest friends and we all had dinner. This morning I again took the shuttle back to the airport and now I’m sitting on the plane watching the flight path on the little video. I had enough frequent flier miles to go business class both ways and it’s great. I love all the space.

One more paragraph and I’m going to sleep. Finally got to the hotel and I can’t keep my eyes open. Good night.

3 weeks organized

Posted on February 5, 2013 by ruthek

Orchids @ Phipps

I just finished selecting hotels for my first three weeks. I arrive in Tokyo on March 15 and stay for five nights, visiting several gardens in Tokyo and one of the “top three” in Mito, a day trip north and east of Tokyo. March 20, two nights in Atami, then one night in Okayama and on to Fukuoka in Kyushu, for two nights. My next stop is Kumamoto, also in Kyushu, for three nights, which will include a day trip to Kagoshima. My original intention to get to Nagasaki has been scrubbed because the time doesn’t work out and I’m not sure there is a garden I want to see.

From Kumamoto I return to Honshu and stop overnight in Hiroshima to see another garden. Then I will take a ferry across to Shikoku and stay overnight in Matsuyama to see another garden then across Shikoku to Takamatsu for another garden. That will be April 3, my 21-day railpass will be almost finished and my stay in Kyoto will begin.

Six more days organized

Posted on January 15, 2013 by ruthek

Korakuen, in Okayama

The January thaw ended yesterday without the promised rain or snow. Yesterday and today are more nearly normal; temps in the 30’s, but very pleasant. I’m enjoying walking.

Back to travel plans: I leave Atami by train, using my 21 day railpass, and going to Okayama where I have booked a hotel for three nights. My primary destination will be Korakuen, one of the top three and a garden I visited in 2008 and didn’t love. Maybe spring will be better. Okayama is on the Seto Inland Sea where several islands have become major contemporary art destinations. I plan to go to the art house project and Benesse House on Naoshima, Inujima Island and an art festival on these islands, which were originally industrial sites that have been recycled.

From Okayama I will go to Fukuoka on the other large island, Kyushu, where there are several interesting destinations. Haven’t booked a hotel yet, so that’s next.

The best laid plans

Posted on January 9, 2013 by ruthek

Abbot’s Garden at Nanzen-ji

Detailed planning will be important for Kyushu, Kyoto and getting out of Tokyo. I want to go to Hakone and Atami, just outside of Tokyo, near each other and probably good for one and a half days. As I mentioned last time, I couldn’t decide about making day trips from Tokyo or going on. Tonight I did it. I booked a hotel in Atami for 2 nights. When I arrive I plan to go to MOA, Atami’s famous museum of art, then spend the second day in Hakone, where I want to see the open air museum, take the train ride and hope for views of Mt. Fuji. I’ve never been to either place so I can’t show pictures now.

From my previous trip:

Then Fuji appeared, gloriously, on the left. A ring of gray clouds partially encircled it just below the snow level, in an otherwise blue sky. This time other people in the car reacted, taking pictures, moving to better viewing positions. I was content just to look. No photograph will ever do it for me.

Next stop: Okayama or Hiroshima

Changing habits

Posted on January 5, 2013 by ruthek

Taiz0-in, one of my favorite gardens

I live about a half mile from the wonderful Carnegie Library. To drive, you have to go about a mile, parking is expensive and usually not available, so needless to say, I walk. I usually wear my purse with the shoulder strap across my chest and sometimes after I walk the half mile and have started back, I have a backache. Yesterday, I took my phone, some money and my library card and left the purse at home. No backache! Today I ordered a belly bag, practicing for Japan. I don’t know how it will look sitting on my already ample belly, but if it enables me to keep walking, who cares.

Trip planning: I am stuck in Tokyo. I would like my next stop to be Hakone, where there is both an indoor and outdoor museum. Atami, which is supposed to have a great museum, is also nearby. Hotels in the area are very expensive. All of this can be done as day trips from Tokyo, so the question is, do I stay for another two days in the hotel I have already booked in eastern Tokyo or do I move to western Tokyo? If I wasn’t on a budget, all of this would be much easier, but much less challenging.

Happy New Year

Posted on January 3, 2013 by ruthek

Snow in front of Steve’s house.

I don’t make resolutions any more. I figure if I haven’t gotten it nailed by now, it’s too late. The week between Christmas and New Year’s was more than a little disorganized, with house guests and such. I’m trying to get back on schedule. Yesterday I actually got to the club to exercise. Now I just have to stop eating all the sweets.

I am planning my next trip to Japan, which will begin in the middle of March and go on for six weeks. My previous visits were in Autumn; now I want to see Spring. I will spend three weeks traveling and most of the remaining three weeks in Kyoto. I have plane tickets and reservations in a hotel in Tokyo and in my favorite place in Kyoto. I will post my plans as they take shape and use this blog for my posts from Japan instead of going back to the other one.

Since my frequent flier account grew as I purchased things for my new apartment I will be flying business class both ways. I don’t think my old bones would tolerate another long trip in coach. I will spend the first five nights in Tokyo looking at gardens and making a day-trip to Ibaraki where there is a garden that is listed in the “top three.” I’ve seen the other two and will return to one of them that I probably did not properly appreciate.

I am reading about one of the gardens I visited in Kyoto: Tenryu-ji. The book is an appreciation of the spirit of the garden, the pond and its rocky landscape. I missed it when I was there in 2008; there were too many people and I looked for less crowded spaces.

By this time the crowds had gathered and my experience at Tenryuji Temple was not so profound. It’s a very large garden with the main temple building in the center. It’s also on different levels; there was a lot of climbing involved, which I am proud to report I did. As I began climbing the crowds diminished, inspiring me to continue climbing so I could sit and enjoy the view without too much interruption.

Pond with lotus plants

View from above, where I sat and contemplated. The angle of view makes it almost look like a Japanese print

Work Avoidance

Posted on July 20, 2012 by ruthek

My kitchen, living room and bedroom are organized and comfortable. Even my linen closed and medicine cabinet. But that work room and the office, particularly the work room, needs lot of work (help). So what am I doing? Not sorting through the box of papers I should have sorted before I moved. Not going through the photos I should trash. Not arranging tools and supplies. I’ve been making books. I have a little workspace cleared off (and I’m keeping it clean). I had an excuse for the first book: I had to get it ready for the party last Sunday. But I was inspired to make more books and that’s so much more fun than all the sorting and arranging. I had to wait for more ink which stopped me from working on the garden book. The ink came and I have to get back to that one also.

The party book is my attempt at a popup book. It met with success, although I see every flaw in it. First, it has no real theme. I looked for photos that had distinct foregrounds and realized most of my photos don’t have obvious distinctions between fore- and background. I have known that for years but never gave it much thought. So this is a collection of five disparate photos, six if you include the cover. I made two copies of each photo, one in color, one black and white. Then I cut out the colored foreground and floated it in front of the black and white image. Floating it means raising it above the page using strips glued on two sides and on the center fold. This page is the piano man in Bryant Park, New York. I kept the green plantings on either side of the photo but made the rest of it black and white. The man is too dark to really pop out, but the piano has color in it. The color in all of the pictures, except the covers, was not good. It was much better on my screen so that disappointed me. You can also see where I wasn’t able to trim the lower edge of the page. My craftsmanship could have been better.

The next photo was taken at Millennium Park in Chicago. I kept the color in the large projection screen that’s part of a fountain. The whole scene reminds me of Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of the Grande Jatte at the Art Institute just down the street. This page has two floating pieces that should have been connected and one should be above the other. Maybe in the next book. The page is embellished with a butterfly charm from my bead collection. (More boxes of stuff that should be sorted.)

Three other pictures are from Japan and one from New York. The people under the umbrellas may have been employees at Meiji Mura, an open air museum of buildings from the Meiji era of Japan. This one is also embellished with a butterfly.

I saw this young woman walking toward the fountain. I followed her and got her dancing, embellished with an angel.
The one below, embellished unnecessarily with a fish, is from Katsura, one of the emperor’s palaces outside of Kyoto. The garden was wonderful; the photo doesn’t do it justice.
This is from Pontocho in Kyoto. Pieces of sculpture were placed in the stream that runs through it. In this photo I removed the sculpture from the black and white background using the clone tool in Photoshop.

These last two photos are the cover. I took the picture at an event here in Pittsburgh and used one photo wrapped around the pages.

I’m not finished with the next book. It will be a star tunnel book and, so far, I am much more satisfied with it. Photos in the next post.

Russians, no Japanese, no new digs

Posted on July 5, 2011 by ruthek

Yesterday I went to a birthday party for my Russian friend/ESL student. It was a lovely party with many Russians, most of them US citizens, and several of us born-and-raised-here, Americans. My friend's oldest son made the first toast, the first time his mother could celebrate her birthday and Independence Day. He expressed his gratitude for the family coming here and for the opportunities they have found. These are not children. Both sons are adults who are making important contributions to American life. My friend, who has an MD and PhD could also make an important contribution, but, because of her age (70) and her language difficulties, although her English is progressing amazingly, this is unlikely. In any case, I was very impressed with the obvious appreciation for our country expressed by the Russians. I don't think this happens these days in all-American circles. This Russian family is exceptional, but I suspect we get much more than we ever give to them from most of the immigrants who come here.

I made another Birthday Book for my friend, which occupied most of my time the last few weeks. Just before the party I was told by an acquaintance that I shouldn't be collecting birthdates from the Russians. That this kind of thing was not part of their culture. It worried me for about 15 minutes, but I had received encouragement from everyone in her family and birthdates from most of the people pictured in the book. At the party everyone seemed pleased and told me it was a great idea. I don't know what to think.

Do you remember my great poster? It sits framed, on the floor leaning against the wall, because I didn't want to make another hole in the wall just before I moved. Each time I walk past it reminds me I have now pushed two major events into the next year: my Japan trip and moving out of my apartment. Japan only bothers me a little, but not moving is making me very unhappy. I will be signing a new lease, which will have an escape clause in it, but it hasn't happened yet so I keep hoping I'll find something. Sadly, nothing new has come on the market in the last three weeks.

One small consolation for all of this is I will go to New York next month and spend enough time to see all of my friends, and probably all of the museums.

This week

Posted on May 1, 2011 by ruthek

Lots of things happened.

Still taking Cipro (until Tuesday). Slightly better each day, but still a problem.

I am going to move again. I didn't really plan to do this, but I've been unhappy with this apartment for some time now. After my fight with the landlord I think it's best if I get out. So I've been spending a lot of time looking, online and otherwise. There are lots of apartments for rent but not many I want or can afford.

Because of this, and because I should do it anyway, I'm trying to get rid of stuff. Last week I shredded or threw out tax returns from 1988 through 2002. I didn't even know I had them. They came with my divorce.

Last weekend I went to a benefit concert for Japan, actually the second one I've been to. This was at Pitt and included some Japanese cultural things as well as good music. This photo is from the tea ceremony.

I found it strange and interesting to have the camera man right in there with the participants while a ghostly image of the action was projected onto the screen behind. It reminded me of the Bunraku performance I saw in Osaka where the puppet masters stand directly next to the life-size puppets. All the camera man needed was a black hood around his head.

More beautiful trees from the 'burgh. These are in a somewhat run down park that was once the site of George Westinghouse's mansion.

100 Books Before I Die

Ruthe Karlin

Category Archives: Japan