Here's
the Dynamic Duo posing like the silly tourists we are in front of the Nijubashi.
And the right is yet another angle. Chris is a pretty darn good photographer and
likes to try lots of angles.Here's
the Dynamic Duo posing like the silly tourists we are in front of the Nijubashi.
And the right is yet another angle. Chris is a pretty darn good photographer and
likes to try lots of angles.
This
is MG and one of the willow trees. It had been a long, hot walk, and originally
it was just a nice place to rest. Chris thought it made for a nice picture.
On the right is a return to the same tree on a different day. Carlton took this picture from much further away.
This
is the Doshin Bansho, a very large standing guard house inside the palace
grounds just outside the East Garden. It has a specially designed tile roof with
tiles containing the family crest of the Emperor. On the right, across the moat,
you can see one of the main buildings. I'm not sure if that's the Emperor's
actual residence or just part of the complex, but it sure looks cool.
This
is Ninomaru Garden. It's design was created in 1630, but it has been rebuilt
many times due to fire and various other forms of destruction. The pride and joy
of the garden is an iris garden that contains 89 varieties of irises, some of
them rare. There are several ponds, a flowing creek, and footbridges.
Carlton
and MG were lucky enough to visit in June when the irises were in full bloom.
The garden was spectacular, though the day was heat-stroke hot.
On the left is a wider shot of the garden. On the right is a look at one of the ponds. At the far side of the pond, you can see some of the rare lily pads. At least one variety is on the Japanese equivalent of the endangered species list.
The
left is a close up of one of the fabulous flowers (MG thought of Mrs. Galvin,
Kelley's mom the whole time she was taking pictures of the flowers). On the
right is MG in the garden. You can see some of the buildings of downtown Tokyo
peeking into the garden behind her.
This
was a large statue on the far side of the palace grounds. Of course the signage
is in Japanese, but Chris really liked it and took quite a few pictures of it.
In fact, on the right, you can see him with his statue.