What a beautiful garden we were lucky to visit today! The iris garden was apparently a favorite of Emperor Meiji and the shrine was built around the garden after his death. The irises are in bloom in May and June and I had not visited them in decades. (The students nodded their heads as I explained this and their response was むかし、むかし-- which means long, long ago in storybook language). Although I took many photos of the irises, this photo of the painter seemed the best of the day. I liked how there were many people enjoying the flowers in many ways -- photographers, painters, sketchers, strollers, etc. Our students had some nice opportunities to practice their Japanese conversation skills, too.
Oh, how I wish Kira was on the trip with you (to practice her Japanese) and for me too, to just tag along and soak in everything! Fav--you'll find I'm going to fav much of this trip! So wonderful!
