Another Year in Tokyo

And sometimes elsewhere.

seasonal

June: places to go in and from Tokyo

Best with: plum sake (umeshu, or 梅酒), and non-stop rainy days.

June has not been my favorite month of year. It is after the golden-week vacation, it gets hot and sweaty easily, it marks the start of the rainy season in Tokyo area, and the worst of all: it has no public holidays in it – all makes it a bit hard to plan any getaways in this long month.

However, when I was checking my old pictures over the years, I realized I did travel around quite a lot during this month. Those were all little day trips, or one night, tops; but there are many beautiful pictures of this particular season when one of my favorite flowers blooms in the area of Tokyo: the hydrangea, or Ajisai (紫陽花) in both Japanese and Chinese.

Where to see hydrangea blossoms in Tokyo area

Interestingly, my first blog here is about this flower, and you can review that one for some old picture. It is about my favorite town near Tokyo as well, Kamakura, where I have been millions of times.

In the city of Tokyo, my favorite spot for seeing this flower is Hakusan shrine (白山神社). I used to live very close to it, so maybe that is also why. I found some old pictures again, some featuring a younger version of me. 🙂

Outside of Tokyo… green looks the best after rain in Nikko (日光)

By the end of June, or even beginning of July, the entire east Japan is in the middle of the rainy season. Every year, it has been difficult to decide where to go to celebrate P’s birthday, which is on July 1st. Actually, there are quite some gems that shine even better after a good rain.

This is where people visit during summer, the sacred mountain area north to Tokyo: Nikko (日光). I have been to it numerous times, including in summer when it brings coolness and autumn when the leaves are just beautiful. You would imagine in June it may be less beautiful, but actually the greenish nature after rain is just like a fairytale coming true:

Or, go north to get a good dip in the Onsen (温泉) in the northern prefectures

The north part of east Japan can be difficult to get there, as it is not like the big cities such as Tokyo where you have dozens of lines at each train station. Nontheless, I always imagine it is how Japan should look like behind the curtains.

To escape the heat, I would travel north to wander in the nature, or in the “ghost” towns. The trip to Iwate prefecture, Ichinoseki city (岩手県一関市) and the nearby Hanamaki town (花巻) was one of such memories. The views are amazing. And nothing beats a good night rest in a cozy Onsen Ryokan (温泉旅館) near some mountain stream with rain in the background, where you can both warm up after a long day and enjoy a traditional and less pricy Kaiseki Ryori (懐石料理), sometimes with quality Japanese beef, or Wagyu (和牛).

This year, where should I go (if possible at all..)?

Rainy season: Kamakura in blue

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Ajisai in Engakuji (円覚寺), Kamakura

With this lovely picture I took in June this year, I am very pleased to start the very first post of my little blog, with my favourite season in my favourite place in Japan so far, which is the rainy season in Kamakura (鎌倉).

Kamakura, is a small seaside city/town in Kanagawa-ken (神奈川県), an hour away by train from Tokyo. In weekends, I sometimes feel an urge to escape from the forest of concretes and steels, and the crowds in the streets of Tokyo, and flee to Kamakura – well, sometimes or most of the times Kamakura is no less crowded, given its location and renowned history usually described as “little Kyoto”, but the greens and the blues, the ancient temples and shrines still cure me never the less.

For the locals it is no news, but Kamakura is specially beautiful in the rainy season in Japan. It doesn’t mean it is less attractive in other seasons, but in the rainy season, when people are depressed by the cloudy weather or the showering rain almost everyday, it is the best time to visit Kamakura again, to see the city in a different set of colours – purple and blue, of the sacred flower of the God of rain, Ajisai (紫陽花).

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Ajisai in Engaku-ji (円覚寺), Kamakura

Engaku-ji (円覚寺) is about 200 meters away from Kita-Kamakura train station (北鎌倉駅), so it is always my first stop when visiting Kamakura. Unlike other famous temples or shrines in Kamakura, Engakuji is more peaceful and a typical scene of Japanese style “wabi – sabi” with its laid-back atmosphere. It is never as crowded as others. As a result, it is to my point of view the most suitable with Ajisai in the rain.

While appreciating the melancholy beauty of the flowers, you can also try Zen meditation and Sutras writing there, after perhaps, having tea at the tea ceremony with the monks.

Ajisai with a temple in its background

Ajisai with a temple in its background at Engaku-ji (円覚寺)

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Ajisai in full bloom at Engaku-ji (円覚寺)

Meigetsu-in (明月院) would be my second stop and the most recommended place for appreciating Ajisai. It is also a cute temple with bunnies here and there. At weekends of the season, it is very crowded with locals and visitors, not to mention cameras and tripods, which is good proof of its beauty.

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The bunny on a bridge right after entering Meigetsu-in (明月院), looking down to the stream with a turtle accompanied

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Ajisai in full bloom, with bamboos in the background, at Meigetsu-in (明月院)

People here feel blessed with the sacred flower, and small arrangements with it can be seen everywhere.

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Ajisai decorating the bamboo door of a backyard in Meigetsu-in (明月院)

 

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Ajisai holden by a monk statue

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A slightly different colour, with bees inside at Meigetsu-in (明月院)

Another temple as famous spot for Ajisai is Hase-dera (長谷寺). To get there you can either walk, as Kamakura is not a big city anyway and good for wandering around, and it takes about 30 minutes to get there. Or, you can walk down the only main street after getting out of Meigetsu-in until Kamakura train station, and from there take Enoden (江ノ電) for 3 stops, and get off at the station Hase (長谷).

I went to Hase-dera (長谷寺) for Ajisai last year. When I went there, it was a little late for the season, as the flowers had started to fade away. I don’t have good pictures for it as a result, but just one that is my favourite and I even painted after it:

At Hase-dera (長谷寺)

At Hase-dera (長谷寺)

So, here you go. Top three recommended places for Ajisai, to tour in Kamakura in the rainy season. The city as a whole is blurred away in the rain, as though there were a background melody from ancient time.

June to early July is not as crowded as in spring when people come to see sakura, nor as in late July to August which is the typical traveling season for every country, nor as in autumn when weather is much better and in late autumn the crowds come again for the leaves. It is kind of an off season, even for the locals. But, I find the rain in the background especially curing, when visiting the ancient cities or the sub-urban areas outside Tokyo.

I am also working on other trip diaries during rainy season, please be sure to check them out when available. 🙂

Thanks for reading (until the end)! Please share with me your comments, be it on the topic, the pictures, the information provided, or the grammar!