Chinzan-so

(This entry is especially for Lina - hope you'll get to enjoy this garden someday)

Perhaps one of the best methods to escape the hustle and bustle of Tokyo would be strolling through a traditional Japanese landscaped garden and Chinzan-so is a splendid garden to break away from Tokyo’s urban jungle.

I discovered it rather by accident. One afternoon last semester, the soon-to-graduate sempais in my zemi-group spontaneously decided to spend the last zemi session for tea instead of academic discussion. I reached our normal meeting room just in time to stumble onto other late-comers, so together the four of us tried to find our way to Chinzan-so, based on instruction given by one sempai over keitai.

After several hiccups, it took us more than the supposedly 10 minutes walk to finally reached Foresta Café in Chinzan-so. The tranquility of the garden really took me by surprise. It was so incredibly gorgeous - and merely 10 minutes away from Waseda University! Although it was summer, by just seeing the line of sakura trees aIong the Edo river on the way to the garden, I could already conjure up a perfect spot for hanami next spring insya Allah. I made up my mind there and then to re-visit the garden with my camera ready.

Thus one day last summer holiday, hubby and I bought a Toei one day pass each (700 yen for unlimited use of Toei 4 subway lines, Toei buses and streetcars) and played tourist in Tokyo. We went to several popular touristy attractions that day, but we first headed to the charming Chinzan-so.

I later learned that Four Seasons Hotel Chinzan-so is one of the most popular wedding venues in Tokyo – it was said that it could held as much as 14 weddings in a day. Considering Japanese obsession with punctuality and efficiency, it might not be a big deal, especially so since Four Seasons Hotel must be filled with all the respective professionals. Thus, those who want to experience some tranquility there might avoid going there on the weekend since it would be bustling with brides’ and grooms’ families and friends. On the other hand, some photography enthusiasts might welcome the opportunity of capturing shots of kimono-clad women in a traditional Japanese garden.

Anyway, hubby and I prefer the former - to just sit and enjoy the sight, smell and sound of the crickets, the trees and several water features. There was a mini waterfall, a water rock pond with giant stones shaped in turtles and dolphins, and another part filled with a watermill. The garden is full of history – 500 year old tree, three-storey Pagoda, an Inari shrine (with statues of foxes rather than dogs or lions on each side of the shrine’s entrance), various historical relics and artifacts moved from other places – all with carefully laid quaint-looking signs in both Nihonggo and English.

Oh, by the by, there were Shichi Fukujin (seven gods of fortune?) idols located in various sections of the garden, with descriptions of their supposed ‘specialty’ in Nihonggo and English, complete with small collection container. (Naughty me spied the various containers and it seemed like there were mostly 5 or 10 yen pieces. And there were a lot of 5 and 10 yen coins thrown in a small refresh spot at the hilltop, next to the 3-storey Pagoda too)

There are several eating outlets overlooking the garden – with prices ranging from 900 yen lunch at Mucha-an soba house (which closes at 3.30 p.m.) to 18,900 yen kaiseki dinner at Kinsui restaurant. Dynamic Tokyo Tour by Hato Bus in fact includes Japanese BBQ lunch at Mokushundo in Chinzan-so, and it’s possible to request for vegetarian BBQ too. Hubby and I did not give any of the eating outlet a try that day, but personally, based on my one-time experience, the cakes at Foresta Café are not too bad.

Anyway, we went there mainly for the garden and I must say that the serene garden was really a nice change from the ‘usual’ lively Tokyo – calmer, slower and cooler with fresher air.