Parks and Recreation

Hi all again folks - getting towards the end of my backlog of material, and as promised this one is more of a photo heavy one, being more examples of my work from the various gardens I've been to over the past few weeks! Less to write about here, and more a showcase of the photos I've been taking lately!

First of all however, a couple of museums - first of all the National Museum, which has an exhibition on Arabian artefacts, sponsored by Saudi Arabia. Initially one of my dorm-mates Julia and I wanted to go to another exhibition, but we were not disappointed by this! This was a very cool exhibit, with examples of artworks that are several thousand years old, demonstrating (to my surprise) some exquisite craftmanship and elegance. The exhibit was less on the Arabian story (though there was of course some mention of this), but rather a showcase of the evolution of their crafts, from pre-Islam to early, middle and 20th Century Islamic art. The calligraphy and metalwork was really pretty, and was an excellent opportunity to recall back some of the names, places and events that I studied in Islamic studies during my last year of university.


I've been working out too

This fresco had an early Christian vibe going on



A hugely massive door made of metal, must have been an absolute mish to open

The second museum was the Tokyo Edo Musuem, which operates as a walk-in demonstration of what a typical Tokyo neighbourhood would have looked like before the Meiji Restoration in the late 19th Century. It had houses, markets, granaries, a fire watch tower, and if you look at the immediately following photo, a cat on the roof! It was a very interesting look at what Tokyo used to be like, and an immersive way to explore Edo lifestyles - certainly a distant memory when you look at the Tokyo of today!




Feet have gotten a bit bigger since then too!

Otherwise, I've been visiting plenty of parks and gardens while I've been here - what they lack in a specific narrative they more than make up for in terms of photographic opportunity! It is awesome that a metropolitan city such as Tokyo has such lovely green spaces, they are an excellent way to get some tranquility without having to travel far! Very fortunate indeed!


Foraging Pigeon at Koishikawa Koen








Reflections in the glasshouse of Shinjuku Park



These are but a sample of the photos I've been able to take in my adventures in the gardens here, there are many more to come! As the winter temperatures begin to rise, the sakura cherry blossoms are starting to get ready to bloom, and I will be sure to capture some of their essence as I can!

A bit of a lighter blog this one, but I hope you enjoy the photos if nothing else, I figure once in a while it is good to do more of a photo showcase without so much narrative!

I have more adventures planned this week and beyond, so be sure to check back soon!

Troy :D

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