Wisteria Flower Festival in Ashikaga

Giant Wisteria Trellis in Ashikaga Flower Park

I visited Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi prefecture, where giant wisteria trellises were in full bloom. Also in full blossom were wisteria tunnels, wisteria screens, double wisteria flowers, and countless azalea trees.

CNN travel staff selected Ashikaga Flower Park as one of 10 "Dream Destinations for 2014 (click here to visit) ", being only one choice from Japan.

You can visit the park from mid April through mid May to enjoy this spectacle.

To get to Ashikaga Flower Park from Tokyo, take a train for one and a half hour, then walk for 15 minutes. 

Haiku Excursion to an Azalea Temple

Togaku-in Temple, Kawasaki

I visited Togaku-in Temple, a well-known azalea temple in Kawasaki, with the members of a haiku society. The azalea trees were in full blossom that day.

"Haiku" is the shortest poem in the world.

It consists of 17 syllables in a 5-7-5 line pattern, and the subject-matter comes from nature and everyday life.

Each haiku contains a seasonal word called "kigo". As kigo is closely associated with Japanese nature and way of life, it indicates a specific season in each poem and provides the readers with a vivid image which the poet intends to read in the haiku.

I am a haiku poet and a member of a society named "Shunto". We meet once a month to read, share, and enjoy haiku.

We occasionally take a trip to temple, shrine, and garden to find theme for haiku.

Zen Meditation Session at Engaku-ji, Kamakura

Kojirin, Zen Meditation Hall

I attended a Zen Meditation Session at Engaku-ji Temple in Kamakura.

It is offered every Saturday afternoon and open to public for free of charge.

One hour session includes an entry guide, a trial meditation, a sermon by a monk, and an actual meditation.

Zen is one of the sects of Buddhism.

It teaches that enlightenment can be achieved through strict mental and physical practices

such as "zazen" or zen meditation.

Zazen is a type of religious meditation performed while seated on a cushion with crossed legs and folded hands.

Zen influenced various Japanese traditions like the tea ceremony and ink wash painting called "sumie".

Cherry Blossom Viewing at Chidoriga-fuchi Garden

Chidoriga-fuchi Garden and the Moat

When the cherry blossoms are in full bloom in the springtime,

people go out for "Hanami" or Cherry Blossom Viewing.

They spread blankets under the cherry trees and have parties with their family or co-workers.

Sometimes the parties last late into the night and can become quite lively.

This year, my wife and I decided to go to the Chidoriga-fuchi Garden for the Viewing.

It is located between the moat of the Imperial Palace and the Embassy of the United Kingdom.

We enjoyed a picnic with sushi boxes and a bottle of wine under the flowering trees.

Doll Festival in Katsuura

Tomisaki Shrine, Katsuura, Chiba

On March 3, families with girls celebrate "Hina-matsuri", literally means Doll Festival, to pray for their daughters' happiness and healthy life. Dolls dressed in elaborate Heian-era costumes representing the Emperor, Empress and their court are displayed on a red-carpeted, stepped platform at home.

The city of Katsuura holds "Big Doll Festival" in early spring and displays 30 thousand dolls throughout the city.

I visited Tomisaki Shrine where 15 hundred dolls were presented on the 60-tier stone steps which leads to the main hall of the shrine. In the evening, the dolls are spectacularly illuminated.
From Tokyo to Katsuura, it takes one and half hour by train.

Bean-Scattering Ceremony in Asakusa

Sensouji Temple, Asakusa

A day before the first day of spring according to the lunar calendar, usually February 2

or 3, is called "Setsubun" (literally means a turn of seasons). That day, bean-scattering ceremonies are held at shrines, temples and homes in the belief of bringing in good fortune and driving away evil spirits. 

I visited Sensouji Temple in Asakusa to watch the ceremony, where a number of men who were born in the same Chinese zodiac as the current year stood on the stage and scattered beans towards the crowd, shouting "Out with the devil! In with good fortune!"
The event gave me some idea for "Haiku".

Back at home, my wife and I scattered beans in and out of the house, saying the same phrase aloud.