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| The Azalea Garden of Nezu Shrine |
This month of April is having me catch up with all the major temples in Tokyo I've managed to miss so far, and apparently, next on the list, is Nezu Shrine. Bringing along Ken and Lo, I went to check it out on the first day of its Azalea Festival. More renown for its garden that the actual shrine house itself, Nezu Shrine plays the major part in the Azalea Festival taking place from early April to early May. During this time frame, hundreds upon hundreds of the azelea flower bushes go into bloom, further cementing the coming of spring and attracting locals and tourists alike. A walk across the azalea garden costs nothing but 200¥ and doesn't fail to impress. I'm a sucker for nice flowers, sue me.
Flowers aside, even out of season the shrine has some nice sights to offer, such as ponds filled with koi and turtles and ducks. It's a peaceful place brimming with a simple, docile nature.
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| There's a lot going on in this picture. |
A nice afterthought, more likely than not unrelated to the azalea festival itself, was the small fare taking place in what seemed like the backyard of the Nezu shrine, which connected into the Komagome shrine nearby. Standard in temple grounds throughout Japan at various times of the year, fares like these offer a welcome distraction from the hustle and bustle of the city itself. One can expect to find charcoal-roasted foods and traditional snacks and desserts offered by various stands packed together in close proximity.
A number of games are also present in fares like these, challenging children and adult alike.
Credit to Lo for the nice picture at the top.
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