Tokyo has many fantastic gardens and many people flock to the gardens in Spring to see the famous Cherry blossom festival or in mid Autumn to see the the rich Autumn colours. During our visit the gardens were very quiet but still enjoyable and a great place to get some relief from the heat. The noise of cicadas was intense.
The Rikugien Garden
The Rikugien garden is a mountain and pond style garden created in 1702 and is an example of the Edo period of gardens in which the gardens were created for enjoyment. The current layout and plantings date back to 1938 when the gardens were given back to the city of Tokyo. The garden contain many Karume azaleas which would be spectacular in Spring.
While out exploring Tokyo we stumbled upon a huge street festival and live performances on stage of
Yosakoi dancers. Considering how hot it was, the teams which could have easily
numbered over 100 and were made up of all age groups were all doing a very
energetic job.
Yosakoi is a unique
style of dance that originated in Japan. Yosakoi started in the city of
Kochi in 1954, as a modern rendition of a traditional summer dance. The
style of dance is highly energetic, combining traditional Japanese dance
movements with modern music. The choreographed dances are often performed by large
teams.
The costumes used by
Yosakoi teams vary widely. Happi coats and yukata are the most predominant
costumes and can be seen in a wide variety of colours. Many of the dancers use a
naruko: small wooden clappers that are held in the hands of each dancer. Naruko
were originally used to scare birds away from the rice fields. The use of
narukos is required in Yosakoi dance, but many groups also use other hand-held
instruments or props, such as drums, flags and batons.
