Rikugien Garden in Komagome Japan

 Started our morning off with a breakfast which consisted of scrambled eggs with ketchup all over it, texas toast, bacon and a cup of iced coffee.  Time to catch the train from Ikebukuro to catch another train the Yamanote line toward Ueno and then get off at Komagome, Japan.  

Off the trains, whew, our walk to find the gardens were not very long.   Some things we saw during our walk!

 the entrance to the Rikugien Garden. Marlon and Mary got senior rates which were only about $1.50 each and I had to pay double LOL $3.00.

Admired the groundskeeper using a broom to remove the leaves from the gravel walkway.  Such dedicated people, preparing the grounds for the fall leaf viewing.

Rikugien is often considered Tokyo's most beautiful Japanese landscape garden alongside Koishikawa Korakuen. Built around 1700 for the 5th Tokugawa Shogun, Rikugien literally means "six poems garden" and reproduces in miniature 88 scenes from famous poems. The garden is a good example of an Edo Period strolling garden and features a large central pond surrounded by man-made hills and forested areas, all connected by a network of trails. I loved how they prop up the older trees to support them as they get older. They also take care of their elders in the same fashion.

Beautiful view!!

Deshionominato, this is one of the edges of the pond, which has a beautiful view.

Look close and you can see the arch in the rock in the pond. Hora i-Jima This typical stone made arch is based on the main theme of Taoist Immortality.  This is a legendary island where an immortal wizard is said to live.  These islands were made in Japanese gardens to wish eternal youth and immortality.

Takimi-chaya, a mountain stream runs beside the arbor where we sat for a while and listened to the waterfalls and enjoyed the scenery.  I enjoyed watching a guy take pictures of a doll propped up to make it look like she was at the gardens also.

Mary enjoying the view and sounds of the gardens.  Lots of birds chirping, waterfall sounds, rustling water in the stream.

 Our views.

The view of this bridge was breathtaking. Tranquility at its finest.

Captured this pretty butterfly, who loved the gardens also.

Amazing to watch as the gardeners take such excellent care of the trees.  Such dedication.

Special tea making lesson going on today.  How lucky we were since this is only done 1 time a year on this particular weekend.

Tea House

Various teas 

Shelves to place shoes to enter the tea house.

 Green Tea plant of Kagoshima, Green tea is leaves of tea and not to be confused with matcha tea which is a powered tea used for the tea ceremony and special occasions.

 Our tea sensei teaching us how to make green tea the proper way.  There are four important points when making tea, Temperature, amount of tea, amount of water and time.

The water was too hot for the first cup.  It will cool 10 degrees each time it is poured into a vessel.  She poured into a pitcher, then measured into the teacups, then poured into the teapot for the first cups of tea.  It only brewed for 30 seconds.

 The proper way of holding your teacup is to rest it in the palm of one hand and hold it with the other.

  The perfect cup of green tea made by tea sensei.

Mary really enjoyed this experience and loved the green tea.

 Our tea sensei was very knowledgeable.

Farewell and Welcome Tea party

Today was a very special day for Marlon and I.  We attended a tea ceremony with Teresa.  The tea ceremony will be the last for Michal who has been in the group a little over a year.  Today is her farewell party and a Welcome to Japan party for Marlon and I.  My friend Teresa was first to practice her tea ceremony for a big event coming up this weekend.  The tea ceremony is a ritual of preparing and serving Japanese green tea, called matcha together with traditional Japanese sweets to balance the bitterness of the tea.  Preparing tea in a ceremony means pouring all one's attention into the movements.  The whole process is not about drinking tea but about making the tea from the heart for the guest.  The host of the ceremony always considers every movement and gesture.  Even the placement of the is considered from the guest's view.  The main guest is called the Shokyaku.

This is the kettle they use to perform making the green tea and the container beside it holds the water to make the green tea.
Items needed in making the tea for the ceremony.  The red container holds green tea.

I really liked the wooden framed bamboo vases behind the kettle.  I'm hoping Marlon can make this for me for our house.

This sweet was given to Marlon and I during the practice of the tea ceremony.

Marlon is receiving tea and sweet from Keiko who is practicing for upcoming events.

After tea ceremony practice the sensei showed up a thing she wears to relieve aches in her feet. Wow, I have never seen this before, she says it helps stretch her feet which helps them from not cramping up.

The members that came today brought a spread of food for the party.

This is the group of people who came to practice today and for the farewell and welcome to Japan party.  Sensei of the group is 2nd from right on the bottom row.

Teresa made some great tasting punch bowl cake.  Yummy it was a hit at the party.

Since its boys day this month the sensei gave Marlon warrior helmets she made using origami technique.

Teresa and her tea sensei.