Narita-san Park

I’d walked through Narita-san Park two decades back, but all I remembered from that time was a frozen pond. Although it hadn’t been snowing, it was an icy January 1^stday.

A memory from two decades ago

Although I took no photos, I still remember walking along a narrow street in Narita where crowds made it impossible to tread at more than a snail’s pace. I was unaware of the importance of January 1^st in Japan until I reached the temple and saw the crowds gathered before a monk.

Shinjuku’s neon night

I first visited Shinjuku’s Kabukicho district in the day time and noticed the seedy side. Countless massage parlours and huge billboards of women in suggestive poses lined narrow lanes where men lingered outside waiting to lure customers.

A cloudy view

I reached Kawaguchiko Station in the hope of viewing Mt Fuji. Who doesn’t want to see Japan’s most famous mountain? On my final full day in Japan I knew my chances weren’t great. The sky was cloudy, and as I drew nearer, rain dampened the sidewalks. But this was my last chance.

Yokohama’s skyline

Yokohama was a network of modern skyscrapers along the Bay of Tokyo. I took a waterfront hike to Rinko Park passing nearly as many cranes operating on building sites as completed structures.

The home of Nissan

Only a half hour train ride away from downtown Tokyo was Yokohama. It was a huge change from being in the midst of tourists, and as I left the train station and headed towards a park I’d earmarked, I stumbled upon my first eye catching sight.

Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens

These Endo-period gardens weren’t just about the artistic arrangement of plants and lakes that covered the site, there was history attached. With signage both in Japanese and English I read that once an elaborate Chinese sign marked the entrance to the gardens, but it was destroyed by bombs in 1945.