Naming Plants at Koishikawa Botanical Gardens

Part of the fun of going to the Koishikawa Botanical Gardens is discovering new plants and learning their names. That the garden is owned by the University of Tokyo adds to the educational experience.

Magnolia flowers in bloom.

Cercis chinensis bunge, or Chinese rebud.

Cornus officinalis, or Japanese cornel, a species of dogwood.

This tree had a hollow with a sliver thin enough for a small person to get in through.

Rhododendrons, prepping for their bloom.

Corylopsis spicata, or winter hazel, in the witch hazel family.

Eventually a patch of small strawberries.

Does the Japanese maple leaf flower?

Lonicera gracilipes. This page makes me think this shrub is native to Japan and cannot be found elsewhere. The flowers are small and star-like.

Camellia trees, which always seem to flower like crazy.

Two ibises in view.

I was surprised to see the yellow-green color around its eyes.

Cherry Blossom Viewing at Koishikawa Botanical Gardens

Despite the sheer number of posts I've written about Koishikawa Botanical Gardens, I'd never been able to visit during cherry blossom season. Luckily, I managed it this year, and it was just as lovely as you'd expect.

During hanami (cherry blossom viewing) all of the major Tokyo parks become horrifically crowded, to the point where it can disrupt your appreciation of the flowers. This park is located at least 15 minutes from all nearby train stations, weeding out the lazy.

The sun shining through the haze of flowers.

Daffodils and cherry blossoms.

The pond was teeming with tadpoles.

Ume Blossom-Viewing at Koishikawa Botanical Gardens

A late-winter visit to the Koishikawa Botanical Gardens, just in time for the ume (plum blossom) festival.

 

Also an early-blossoming sakura tree.

Japanese witch hazel, beginning to flower.

Some of the trees in this park are fantastically tall.

The ground was littered with fallen fruit.

These are all ume blossoms.

The poor leaves were already riddled with aphids, plus the bigger bug handing upside down.

There were several types of camellia trees.

The park was undergoing construction, with a lot of trees and plants being culled.

City Views from Bunkyo Civic Center

View from the Bunkyo Civic Center, close to Kasuga Station. The 25th floor observation deck is free.

Obviously, that's Tokyo Sky Tree in the background.

The La Qua (where the Moomin Cafe is) rollercoaster is visible too.

The green patch in the background is my favorite park, Koishikawa Botanical Gardens.

You can view Tokyo from every single floor.

 The University of Tokyo is visible by its clock.

 My former residence is visible in this photo.

The two towers of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building are visible far away.

Chuo University is the yellowish building in the center, and to the left is the Koishikawa Korakuen Garden, which I have only been to once but found rather dull. There is a Chinese dormitory next to one of the exits that has a beautiful tea room, though!