Tag Archives: Japanese gardens

Why DO Japanese love cherry blossoms so much?

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Alice

The cherry blossom season is winding down here in Tokyo. Despite the generally cold and cloudy weather, there were plenty of people out enjoying picnics under the flowers in various states of drunkenness. And the usual frenzy of cherry-themed everything, … Continue reading →

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Where to go to see komomaki 菰巻き

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Alice

In my Oct. 16 column in The Japan Times, I wrote about komomaki, the straw mats you often see wrapped around the trunk of pine trees in formal Japanese gardens. As I explained in my article, this was originally a … Continue reading →

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Find meaning in life — in the Tokyo garden “stamp rally”

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Alice

I may be a sucker for freebies, but I’ve never gotten suckered into a Japanese “stamp rally.” That’s because the pain-gain ratio always sucks! For the uninitiated, I should explain that a stamp rally スタンプラリー　is a device often used in … Continue reading →

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