Japan has a wealth of gardens, parks, shrines, and temples. So many of them are tucked into little corners of the city that you would never know they are there. Fortunately, some good friends of ours took us to Sankeien Gardens in Yokohama, or else we would never have known it was there. Japanese gardens are all about symmetry and peace. The gardens in Japan contrast so sharply with the hustle and bustle of daily life in the city that you can't help but want to take a nap on the lawn. Within the gardens, there are always sub-gardens that are through gates or past courtyards. It would be so easy to miss some of the most beautiful places if you didn't explore every aspect of them. The kids had fun with the turtles and fish, playing with friends, and exploring different paths. Good times had by all. We even got some good pictures on the forbidden grass in between rotations of different security guards. It's good to be the sneaky Gaijin! After the gardens, we went to Yokohama and had dinner at the Red Brick Warehouse at the Hawaiian Hamburger place and ice-cream at Cold Stone. It was great. Yokohama at night is stellar and ice-cream is always a perfect way to end the day.
It is going to be sad to see our friends move in November