Sankeien Garden and Chinatown

Dave made some great scramble with peppers and eggs for breakfast this morning. It was a lazy one after the party last night! All six of us (yea) headed out to the train station late morning with our destination being Sankeien Gardens. This Garden was created by Sankei Hara, a successful Yokohama businessman who built a fortune through his silk business. The construction took 20 years. It comprises two gardens: the outer which was accessible to the public in 1906 and the inner for private use. He brought in many temples and buildings associated with historical figures. The Japanese government has recognized Sankeien Garden as one of the "Places of Scenic Beauty" in Japan.

A new train system for us...

Beautiful ponds and gardens leading to the 3-story pagoda...

the azaleas were in full bloom and the iris just beginning...

Colin taking a picture of Ryan at a small Buddhist shrine along the path...

even a lovely bride and groom...

This is the Former Yanohara Family House, an Important Cultural Asset in Japan. It was originally built in a small traditional village located in Gifu Prefecture, now designated a UNESCO world heritage site. It was designed for farmers but has many high-class architectural elements, such as spacious entrance hall for guests, tatami mats in the reception room and windows with distinctive designs often seen in Zen Buddhist temples. Inside the house displays the farming tools used in the Hilda region. It was really fascinating!

The fireplace in the middle of the living room...

Teapots..

storage and food buckets and pails...

the very steep and narrow steps to the second level...

we stopped for lunch near this scenic spot...

Ryan checked to see if there was anything interesting in the water...

then we hiked up the hill to the 5-story pagoda...

and on up the hill to the observation point...refineries...

then a fun stop to try to feed the turtles amongst all the koi...

everytime this guy would about reach the food a bunch of huge koi would move him away...

finally success!!!

This tufted duck was also there, but never got into the chaos.

Then a visit to the original home built in 1902 by Sankei.

It had stunning views from almost all the rooms...

a few traditional Buddhist doorways...

a meditation chair...

the on to a display area with this beautiful handpainted wall...

Then Grandpa did a short talk on bamboo.

Then back on the bus and a visit to Yokohama's Chinatown.

There are shrines and gateways all through the area.

and some great restaurants...Ryan almost has those chopsticks down!

and this time some games on the way home. Very nice day!