Rikugien Gardens

Sunny Sunday is always a special day for me.^-^
Rikugien Gardens are the most beautiful Japanese style gardens ...
Rikugien (six poems garden) was built in 1702 and there're 88 scenes reproduced from the poems.



This is the view from our picnic place.
Imoyama Seyama in the middle of the park.

Houraijima:

Takimino Chaya:




Aomatsu (blue pine):

Don't look at me like this...

RACE !!! Who's the fastest??

Kazuo in front of the Tsutsuji Chaya:


Hypnosing a dragonfly...
Akamatsu (red pine):

View from the Fujishiro Toge:

In the Tsutsuji Chaya:

Some yellow leaves already showing Autumn is coming...


Of course, bamboos are always presented ...






This is to prevent leaves get into the drenage hole...

In front of Sekirei ishi:

Isn't it really beautiful?
Tea house:
While the tea was prepared:



An old lady with her mp3 player... click on the picture and look at the big image... it's worth ;-)

Beautiful original green tea with the special sweet. It was wonderful!!!

Shibuya

Shibuya is one of the most crowded cities in Tokyo.
The station is full all day 365 days a year.

It's a city with all types of entertainment... shopping malls, restaurants, coffee shops, movie theaters, big music shops, game shops... most of young people like Shibuya and makes a meeting point for many of them.



It's colorful with many huge video screens all over the big buildings. Neon advertisements are used everywhere...

Famous brands and big companies present their product first in Shibuya.





One famous fashion shopping mall is the 109 (ichi maru kyu), where every young Japanese in Tokyo already passed at least once.





In the middle of thousands of shoppings and restaurants, one very interesting cafe was waiting us for lunch.



In the north of the station, there is the Yoyogi Stadium, and beside it, in the middle of the street, young people try to get attention from the public.

Many singers and comedians started their show in the streets like this.




Some stores are really amazing. Cute things, bizarre objects, funny bags and clothes...

Goods from everywhere in the world... lots of fun even only looking at the stores. Even because the prices are quite expensive! :O

One flower (the biggest one) is around 5,000 yens.

Tokyo Eletricity Museum is free admission and you can see interesting machines...
Many simulation miniature machines about nuclear and water generating energy. Well, for me the interesting one was the machine that emits the smell of a dish the PC is showing how to prepare. When the dish is almost ready, both cylinders around the monitor start expelling a very good flavour. You can choose blueberry cake, chicken, pork, etc...




How about a haagen dazs after all this walk?


You can have anything in Shibuya!



Original architecture is one of the characteristics of Shibuya... as the space is one of the most expensive in the world, so narrow and tall buildings are seen here... of course with the special colorful neon lights...



Amazing place... the only problem is I really hate crowded places... that's why I don't go to Shibuya so often, even 5 min by train from home...

Arabian restaurant in Yoyogi Uehara...

Dinner with Brastech's friends in a new Arabian restaurant. The food was good but the best was the decoration and the utensils were original.
The picture is an Arabian coffee... very thick with mint (I guess)...

Palace

I have moved from the original building to a hotel for a month already...
No space enough in the building and the IT department had to move out :((
The hotel is just in front of the Imperial Palace Garden, which landscape I can see from desk ^-^
I also cannot complain much as on the 1F, there is an art gallery. Today, there was a new exposition and so much beautiful flowers in front of it.
I couldn't resist to take a picture. Please don't pay attention in my tired face after a hard work.

Nagoya

Nagoya Station building has a Guinness world record.


On the 15th floor, entrance of Marriot Hotel, the view is wonderful...


The globe is "Aichi Expo":

First time I heard elevator saying: "We are soon moving to..."


An interesting place on the top of the building...


Then I started my day in Nagoya...

Shinjuku Gyoen

Yesterday, my lunch was a picnic in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, under this huge and powerful tree.
This garden was constructed on the site of a private mansion belonging to Lord Naito of the Edo era. It was re-designated as a national garden after World War II.

Many families enjoying a great day in the garden, doing picnics with their children, playing balls, walking, taking pictures or just observing the wonderful place God permitted of be.
The trees in the pic below are close to the Japanese Garden:

French Garden has Avenue of Plane Trees, where I just couldn't even breath how beauty was behind the lakes...

This is called "French Formal Garden":

It's the favorite garden to many photographers...

There is a big Green House, similar to Jardim Botanico in Curitiba, with some Brazilian plants, many types of flowers and cactus.

Keiro no Hi

The 3rd Monday of September is the Respect for the Aged Day.
Respect for the elderly and longlivity is celebrated today in all Japan.

In this country, I really feel how much the grandparents are important in a family.
As a tradition, the elder child takes care of the grandparents and continue the family's business.
If the elder child is a man, he's wife and children live with the grandparents.
If the elder child is woman, she has to find a husband who can take care of grandparents business and themselves. In old days, the husband was taking the wife's lastname to continue father-in-law's business.

On this special day, the family gives flowers and gifts for their wisdown and as a respect for them.

It's culture that has mother's day, father's day, boy's day, girl's day, aged people's day... for those family living far away each other, the children travel to visit your family at least once a year... however, I can say, people close to me they see their parents at least 3 times a year, even costing lots of money (it's more expensive traveling inside Japan then abroad) or traveling all day... and bringing all the wife and children with him...

It's a respectful culture.