Japan, day 15 (September 17): Tokyo’s Hama-rikyu Gardens

Our final day was relaxed, a chance to pack before our evening non-stop flight to Boston.  So we took the opportunity for a morning walk around the Hama-rikyu Gardens… one last chance to enjoy the art and beauty of Japan! Donated to the public in 1945, “it was remodeled as a public garden on the site of a villa belonging to the ruling Tokugawa family in the 17th century.” These gardens (which we also visited late the day before) are unusual in that they are “surrounded by a seawater moat filled by Tokyo Bay” [Wikipedia]. Most of the original buildings are gone – destroyed by fire, earthquake, or war, but a 300 year-old black pine tree survives; likely planted by Tokugawa himself. Read on…

Be sure to check out the gallery for the photos! I especially enjoyed photographing the blue butterflies among the massive spread of orange flowers (cosmos).

This post is part of a series about our Japan trip; the series starts here.