The Japanese Garden annexed to 'Nezu Museum' in the heart of Tokyo features gregarious rabbit-ear irises in late spring.

Nezu Museum found in Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, boasts a private collection of Japanese and Oriental arts. This museum, which was established by Mr. Nezu Kaichiro, the founder of Tobu railway company in Tokyo, is one of the oldest private art museums dating back to the years before the Second World War. A national treasure 'Kakitsubata Byobu' (Folding paper screen of rabbit-ear irises) painted by 'Ogata Korin', a leading Japanese-style painter in the 18th century, is a main attraction of this museum, and is opened to the public just in April and May to match the flowering time of the real irises in the garden. This Japanese garden, which was designed to make the most of the rolling landscape, originally was a private garden of the founder of this museum, and is dotted with four old tea houses. In April and May in particular, many rabbit-ear irises in the garden are outstanding having to do with the well-known masterpiece of the greatest painter.

Licensed tour guide/travel consultant,
Masahisa Takaki.

'Mishaga-ike' pond in the Tateshina Highland, Nagano Prefecture, is no more than a small reservoir.

Mishaga-ike reservoir measures only 100 meters square, and was built in 1933 to supply the warmed water to the nearby field. As this area is about 1,200 meters high, the water from the stream was too cold for agriculture. The water should be exposed to sunlight for a long time. The water of this pond shows strong acid, so no aquatic life lives here, accordingly the water is very clean. No more than a mere reservoir though, this suddenly became very famous in 1972, because 'Higashiyama Kaii', a great Japanese-style painter , sought subject matter in the scenery of this pond.

Licensed tour guide/travel consultant,
Masahisa Takaki.

'Misaki-inari Shrine' in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, is said to have been built in 1182 near the present site.

Misaki-inari Shrine is found quite close by Suido-bashi Station of JR Sobu-line. Not a large-scale building though, this is one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Tokyo. It is said that this shrine was originally built east of present Tokyo Dome in 1182 as a local tutelary of this vicinity. The Tokugawa Shogunate started in Tokyo at the beginning of the 17th century, then this vicinity had been largely developed through those years. For this reason, Misaki-inari Shrine was compelled to be relocated several times, and was finally moved to the present site in 1905. Looking back to the Edo Period, when *sankin-kotai system was in operation, all the feudal lords out of Edo, present Tokyo, necessarily visited this shrine for purification before their formal greetings to Shogun. This shrine became to be believed as a god for safe travel.

*Sankin-kotai : All the feudal lords or their wives and children had to live in Edo, apart from their domain, every other year.

Licensed tour guide/travel consultant,
Masahisa Takaki.