...where you didn't plan to go ... (103/365, 13 Apr 2022)
...which is what I did today. In fact, around yesterday lunchtime, I started planning a day down by the beach for today; last sunny day before classes start on Friday; as I mentioned to a colleague, going for a swim in the ocean is to me what travelling to an onsen town is for most Japanese people,* a most relaxing and refreshing thing to do. (*That said, spending time in an onsen is also one of my favourite forms of relaxation.)
I noticed however, that the surf club where I go is hosting a special fundraiser on Sunday so I thought maybe I might go to that instead (keeping in mind that 'going to the beach' here means a two-hour one way train trip...). Still, I wanted to do 'something' rather than sit at home, or go to the office to prepare yet another round of classes, plenty of time to do that on a rainy day Thursday I figured. So...
...well, Yokohama is always nice. I recalled the Red Brick Warehouses are apparently going to be restricted from next month for some renovations; Yamashita Park is always interesting for a walk, and yes, it is a port, and I stare at a port from my office window but, well, it is Yokohama, and it is a day out.
So off I went. I can get there on just the one train from my station too, which is another plus. I think I have mentioned previously a weekend tv show where the hosts hop on a train and get off randomly at different stations to 'discover' little spots (I suspect the serendipity takes a bit of setting up, but I digress)...and I often have that show in mind when I set off on little adventures like today. I've been to Yokohama a few times, well, more than a few times. I generally get off at the same station, walk basically the same path, look at the same places. On the train as I read the map, I thought I've never been to the end of this particular line, down the end where one gets close to Chinatown (where I have been previously) or indeed, to 'Motomachi', literally 'original town' so I thought I should head there, get off, look around from that perspective. If it turns out to be less than interesting then Yamashita Park is just a shortish walk away.
We reached the end of the line, dear reader, and can I tell you, it was about five escalator rides underground. That was quite the trip to the top. I went left at first, down 'Motomachi' high street...hmm, lots of shops, I'm sure they do a lively trade when tourists are around, it felt a bit like that. A few steps into a side street or two, a look into the canal passing through and the Scidmore sakura. And this really was the start of a walk into history.
As I headed towards Yamashita Park, I found the literally-named 'Park where you can see the port', looked interesting I thought and so I went. I think the full details I'll leave for the other blog, it truly was a walk through history, a climb up many stairs to discover a most glorious garden (tulip time) and onward to many other historical elements.
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| Showa 2, that c. 1927 |
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| The Scidmore cherry blossoms on their final bloom |
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| The gardens here were just fairytale-like |
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| Remains of the French residence |
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| Worth coming here to learn of this story alone, a mother and her two children... |
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| ...killed by a US plane crash in 1977 (the sons, the mother, it is said, died from 'complications' in 1982), the statue placed 'where they could always see the harbour' (I'll write more about this on the other blog, later this week) |
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| There's always one |
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| 'Japan's first waltz' |
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| A visit to the Osaragi Memorial Museum |
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| Where ten pin bowling in Japan started |
I didn't really know about this park until I came across it. I didn't notice it on the map at the time and yet, I came away from the walk around, brimming with ideas for further follow-up, for things to talk about to the first year students on Friday...how to spark their interest in history, in politics, maybe even just photography...
I came away from the day truly invigorated for what I had seen 'serendipitously' as it were. There is still so much to see.
Today mostly with the Canon EOS M5, 18-150mm, which having had just over 100 frames left, I figured it would be enough but now down to single figures, while the pics from inside the Osaragi Museum, taken on the iPhone12 mini.
