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.