Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens

The gardens were next to a baseball field. We saw high school kids practising and we could hear plenty of enthusiastic cheers. We also saw tourist buses parked along the street and we hoped that the gardens wouldn't be as full as Ninenzaka Path in Kyoto.

When it was time to purchase entry tickets, Mom and Dad availed senior discount rates. Already we could see some tourists by the entrance. When we walked inside and got to the clearing, we breathed a sigh of relief as it was spacious and the amount of people were nowhere near what we experienced in Kyoto.

There were a plenty of trees exhibiting autumn hues. There was a huge, man-made lake in the middle with big fish bobbing their heads up. They also had a 'Japanese traditional' Café that overlooked a smaller pond but this was full of guests at the time of our visit. There were families, groups of tourists, enjoying the scenery and spending time with each other. There were lovers too in some less trodden areas.

After our groupfies, Mom and Dad made their way to an area where they can take more photos by the lake, whereas my sister and I made our way to the stream with pebbles and boulders, closer to the red bridge. We tried to capture the mood and looked pensive as we took turns taking photos of ourselves amidst this overcast setting. At the top of the hill there was a couple politely chatting to each other and from there we saw Mom and Dad enjoying their scenery by the lake.

It was dark when we finally left the gardens. The baseball practice across the road was still ongoing. We wondered what time they would finish as it was a school day again tomorrow.

We took the train back to Akihabara. We noticed that this train line (Toei) goes deeper underground than the other train lines. You need to go down about 4 sets of lengthy escalators. Amazingly, there were bright LED lights on the subway platform that made it seem like there was daylight, helping anyone with claustrophobia or any related anxieties. Also there were birdsounds in their subway. Looking more into this, they say that they are for visually impaired people.--it lets them know where the stairs or escalators for the exits are. Wow!Read more