A Bridge Runs To It

Welcome to Tokyo's Hama-rikyu Teien. My Google Maps entry says it best: "Finally: A Tokyo park that you actually want to visit!" This is the park system that I have missed in Tokyo for the last year and a half. Ueno Park is pathetic compared to this wonder.

Ueno Park has nearly every inch dedicated to paved walkways, national art museums, and a dreadful zoo. These gardens are old, well kept, and nearly empty. People sat alone enjoying the view with a bento box. Walking on the grass is permitted in certain areas, so it is perfect for picnics.

Buffeted on all sides by water (a canal and Tokyo bay), it captures what Seoul, Korea's urban temples do so well: traditional versus modern. Glimmering towers grace the edge of the gardens, providing magical reflections in the duck hunting brackish, tidal pond. (No joke about the duck hunting part, although maybe no longer.)

Accessing the entrance proved difficult, even on a bicycle. A garish six lane elevated highway over a six lane urban throughway makes for a uninviting start. Fortunately, carefully planted trees at the park's edge help to block out the noise. And, the gardens are large enough to nearly lose the city.