A dedication to the discovery of the most magical, hidden, and off-the-beat gems in the most accessible, but unexpected locales around Tokyo and Japan.
My hunger for fresh air strikes again. This time, the target is Okutama. The plan is to hike/walk and take pictures of the autumn leaves, but I went too early so it was still green with a slight hint of yellow. But the hike was totally worth it. Autumn is equally beautiful when it is early.
After visiting the tourist information office, I started my trail from Okutama station.
It was a beautiful day and I was in a beautiful natural setting. The trail which is along the river, near the base of Mt.
Mitake in Ome was really a nice way to spend a beautiful day.
When I was there, the river was a bit low and dry.
The trail is between gravel and paved way connected by several pedestrian bridges.
Towards the end of our walk, we saw people rafting down the river. I guess due to the calm waters, kayakers choose this place to practice their rolls. We also saw a couple of people fishing with
long poles.
We found this suspension bridge (Hatonosu-Kobashi Bridge) over the Tamagawa River which provides a nice photo opportunity.
Okutama station (奥多摩駅) is easily accessible from Shinjuku using the JR Ome line with transfer at Ome (青梅). The train trip is slightly over 2hours (1,050yen per way).
We had a little typhoon two days ago but I am not blogging about heavy rain and strong winds today. I just want to show off some flowers (although I do not know its name) I bought from my local flower shop.
Isn't it beautiful? I like the sweet blue color. The petals fall like sakura, one petal by one petal.
I love plants, big and small. Old and young. But small and old plants have always been a fascination for me. What am I talking about? The art of bonsai.
Bonsai is an art to create a natural and aesthetic miniature plant. This art has existed culturally for a thousand years in China. The Japanese learnt the art from China and created their own art of bonsai.
The first recorded document referring to bonsai in Japan is a painted scroll from the Kamakura Period, Kasuga Gongen Genki E (春日権現験記絵、かすがごんげんげんきえ). The art of bonsai begun to gain more attention in the Meiji Period and started the cultivation of bonsai in Japan.
Usually created from a cutting or a seedling or a planting, the tree is planted in a small pot to limit the growth of the root. After years of careful, but constant pruning to shape the plant into a small miniature of its own, it is created to look natural and never show the intervention of human hands.
Almost any kind of plants can be used to create bonsai. However, smaller leafed varieties are the most preferred ones. In Japan, some of the more popular plants used in creating the bonsai are varieties of pine, azalea, camellia, bamboo and plum.
As for me, after years of admiration, I began to wonder where can I see these works of art in Japan. After some searches on the internet, I found the perfect place! The Omiya Bonsai Village!
Not only that Japan has once again made my dreams come true. It comes with a double bonus! It is a bonsai village with a museum!
Ever since I watched the movie, 'Honey, I shrunk the kids', I always wanted to able to see the world from an ant's perspective. And lived under the bonsai plant.
Although nobody can shrink me into an ant, I can always let my imagination run wild whenever I see a bonsai. For example, imagining myself resting under this bonsai.
Cool and nice shady tree
Or climbing up this tall tree.
This one has a bended and exposed bark. It is perfect for me to imagine the old Japan scenery with me in a yukata.
After the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, the bonsai cultivators had to find a new place to grow and nurture the bonsai. And they found Omiya, an area that has everything they need to grow a bonsai; clean water, suitable soil and available land. So that is how Omiya turned into the bonsai village that we know today.
The map that shows you the way to the nurseries
There are about half a dozen bonsai nurseries where you can visit and admire the bonsai; Toju-en, Fuyo-en, Mansei-en, Kyuka-en, Seikou-en and Shosetu-en. Most of them welcome walk-in visitors and are happy to answer your questions, but as you will be visiting a private nursery, please ask first before you take any photos of the nursery. Some nurseries does not allow photography inside.
The location for the 6 nurseries are included at the end of this post, a map which I obtained from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum showing the location of the nurseries.
When I was at Toju-en, I was invited to try my hands on one pot of bonsai by a friendly volunteer (I forgot to get his name, although I should). He showed me how to prune the tree. And when he let me try my hands on the tree, I was sooooo happy. I carefully snip off the stray branches under his supervision. At that time, I wished I had asked him to take a photo of me and my 'bonsai' ^^ Anyway, it was a dream come true for me to try my hands on a real tree.
All the miniature bonsai
Seikou-en is a well-maintained bonsai nursery with wide display of bonsai where you can see and even purchase their bonsai. They also have the gardening tools on sale.
Taking a rest inside the resthut in Seikou-en
I am surrounded by small greenery
There is also a nearby Bonsai Art Museum dedicated to the promotion of the art of bonsai. Inside the museum, you can learn the history of bonsai and walk around the gallery of paintings with the help of the English audio guide or read the English descriptions of bonsai. The museum also conducts a hands-on workshop on every fourth Saturday of the month between 1pm-3.30pm.
The museum is open from 9am to 4:30pm (Mar - Oct) and from 9am to 4pm (Nov - Feb). Please note that the museum is closed on Thursdays.
The address for the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, Saitama:
2-24-3 Toro-cho, Kita Ward, Saitama City, Saitama, 331-0804 Japan
How to get to the Omiya Bonsai Village
There are two train stations to get to the Omiya Bonsai Village. The nearest train one is Toro station (土呂駅 Toro-eki) which is served by trains of the Utsunomiya Line (宇都宮線, Utsunomiya-sen) and the Shōnan-Shinjuku Line (湘南新宿ライン, Shōnan-shinjuku-rain). If you are coming from Shibuya or Shinjuku or Ikebukuro, this is the most convenient train line for you.
From Ikebukuro, the train ride is just 30mins and the fare is about 500yen.
The other station is the Ōmiya-kōen Station (大宮公園駅, Ōmiya-kōen-eki) on the Tobu Noda Line.
From either stations, it is a leisurely 5-10mins walk.
Direction to the Omiya Bonsai Village from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum website
2. Toju-en
247 Bonsai-cho, Kita-ku, Saitama City
331-0805, Japan
3. Fuyo-en
96 Bonsai-cho, Kita-ku, Saitama City
331-0805, Japan
4. Mansei-en
285 Bonsai-cho, Kita-ku, Saitama City
331-0805, Japan
5. Kyuka-en
131 Bonsai-cho, Kita-ku, Saitama City
331-0805, Japan
6. Seikou-en
131 Bonsai-cho, Kita-ku, Saitama City
331-0805, Japan
7. Shosetu-en
2-640 Higashi-onari-cho, Kita-ku, Saitama City
331-0814, Japan
So if you are equally fascinated by bonsai like me, you can visit these miniatures at the bonsai nurseries in the tranquil neighborhood of Omiya Bonsai Village.
It is the perfect outing for the hot summer afternoon where you can walk along the district's peaceful paths. Or you can enjoy this video on the Omiya Bonsai Village from the comfort of your couch.
I meant to post these pictures for a long time. I had a long time love affair with nature. These fluttering butterflies at the Penang Butterfly Farm was indescribably beautiful. Seeing them flying around brings wonder and peace to me. These photos are taken last year during my trip back in my old hometown, Penang. But as to now, I have three new adopted countries and one of it is Japan. I miss my old hometown, the place I was born and grew up in. I am glad that it still retains the old town charm I love so much and the Penang Butterfly Farm held a special spot for me, having visited it when I was 12 on my very first school trip. The place didn't change that much. It still have the same waterfall and educational displays. Most importantly, the butterflies are still there, fluttering and sweeping through the air, the same way I remembered it.
Although Tokyo had cloudy and wet day, I still managed to make my way to Kinchakuda in Saitama to view the magnificent red higanbana. These flowers bloom during the days of the autumn equinox and it is synonymous with the O-higan day in Japan.
Behind the fiery and fierce red facade, the higanbana or spider lily has a rather sad symbolization. Planted near graves, higanbana is the flower to signify departure and separation.
After a two-hours photo session with these beauties in an almost sad rainy day, I finally say reluctant good-bye. On my way back, I caught myself thinking if I will ever be here again next year to capture these flowers again.
