My first day in Tokyo was rainy and the weather was pretty miserable, but on the second day it cleared up nicely. After eating, I headed to Rikugien near Komagome Station, partly to do some photography for the first time in a while. Rikugien is one of the places in Tokyo especially famous for its cherry blossoms. I hear that in cherry blossom season the queue gets so long it’s hard to even get in. This day happened to be the 20th anniversary of the Emperor’s enthronement, so admission was free. I’m not usually a lucky person, but I guess days like this do come along ^_^
The autumn leaves hadn’t turned nicely yet. It felt about two weeks too early, but it was cool and pleasant, so it was a good day for shooting. There’s not much to explain, so just enjoy the photos..
Near the entrance
The completely bare tree in front is probably Rikugien’s famous weeping cherry, the one known for its spectacular blossoms.
Only this tree had turned a deep color.
There were a few trees here and there with autumn colors, which made for a nice weekend stroll.
Autumn leaves around the pond
Even with this many visitors, the place was really well kept.
A backlit shot, which I don’t usually take
Flare was better controlled against the light than I expected. That 31mm really delivers..
The view by the pond
A Japanese garden
Heading back out to the main gate..
It’s no match for Japan’s Three Great Gardens, but it was like an oasis in the middle of the city. Apart from being so crowded it was hard to relax, that is. Around Tokyo I preferred the park over in Mitaka because it was quieter, but it’s far from the city center, so it’s hard to compare the two.
I didn’t manage to get any shots of brilliant autumn colors, but maybe thanks to the good weather the photos came out reasonably well. I’ve been itching to change cameras, but I went over budget on this trip, so it’ll probably have to wait about six months. By then there’ll probably be a new model that suits me perfectly. (Is a full-frame Pentax still wishful thinking..)