Botan-ical Garden.

Yay, I finally did something instead of just sitting in my apartment or going to school. Yesterday, I traveled to Sukagawa in Fukushima to see my old pals at the Eiji Tsuburaya museum and library. 

These are the dudes on the street, inside were a few more.

(Click that link above for more details on the museum and library.) 

There wasn't anything going on that day yet there were a dozen old ladies listening to an Ocarina player tooting out a Vocaloid tune. And I bought a Godzilla Clear File.

Since we were in Sukugawa anyway, we thought we'd check out the sights/sites. We discovered that there is a large Peony Garden so I suggested we check it out since I needed some fresh air. According to the website of the Sukagawa Botan-en Peony Garden, it "is the only such garden in Japan to be designated as a Spot of Natural Beauty by the Japanese government. "

It was free, so what the hey, we wandered through. Not too many 牡丹 (Botan = tree peony) in bloom yet and even the cherry blossoms had begun to dissipate. Still, here are some pics. First a honking big statue.

Flowery stuff, bush peonies (?), tulips and daffodils.

The obligatory Sakura of course...

Actual tree peonies (I think).

Some purple plants.

A shrine gauntlet.

Some fishies.

And me being silly.

Hey, at the gift shop, they had an Ultraman Clear File and apple juice. (I didn't buy the sake.)

There was a Kokeshi book for sale from which I photographed the cover because it has the "enfant terrible", ET.

We went from there to a widely touted WATERFALL! While overlooking a river cascade, I asked a passerby if this was the waterfall and she confirmed it was. The disappointment I felt was palpable.

The decorations at the neighbouring parkette were cute though.

After this blast of nature, we went shopping at Mandai in Koriyama where I bought a couple of masks. That is a story for another day.

For Goodness Sakura.

Since my foot and back were feeling better (gout, pulled something), I decided to to go on a walkabout. I picked up a small lunch at 7-11 (first conbini I'd entered in about three weeks!) and went on my merry way. First up, I saw a flower I'd never seen before growing at the trunk of a tree.

As you can see, there aren't that many people about. A handful of kids playing and dog walkers mainly.

What follows are a bunch of cherry blossoms at Mutsu Kokubunji Temple at Yakushido Shrine.

Some kids were feeding pigeons which in most parks in Sendai is taboo though I didn't see any signs prohibiting their action.

At the foot of this monument was a sacrificial panda, a toy car and a decapitated anime character's head.

Unusually, the turtle dispensing holy water was not open for business.

I popped across the road to a parkette that I haven't been to in over a decade.

Lots of stone tablets have sprung up.

The three monkeys are Mizaru, covering his eyes, who sees no evil; Kikazaru, covering his ears, who hears no evil; and Iwazaru, covering his mouth, who speaks no evil.

I heard a lot of helicopters flying around today. Patrols? Practice runs? Something more Sinister?

My old stomping grounds, Seiwa Gakuen High School, the reason I moved to this area over 15 years ago.

It's eerie seeing Rakuten Eagles Stadium with NO people around. Even when there isn't a game there's usually something going on.

I want to discus something with you...

Bluebells?



Maybe not.

I continued on my trek to Tsutsujigaoka Park.

Tsutsuji are Japanese azaleas but I don't think they're in bloom yet. Lots of others flourishing though.

And of course, more sakura...

But first, a warning about tidying up after your pooch. It's fun! (フン fun is the Japanese word for dog poop, click that link for more signs of poop.)

What's missing from this picture? The tons of people who usually abound on a nice spring day.

My lunch, a sandwich and veggie sticks with a miso dip.

A couple of dragsters.

Look! More nonexistent groups of people.

Me doing my best Invisible Man impersonation. (Of those who were out today, very few had masks on. Although granted, they weren't in close quarters.)

Wow, the lack of picnickers is amazing! I suppose the true Hanami parties are at night.

How have I managed to miss the Tsutsujigaoka Hill and Shrine of Tenjin all these years?

Some eerie Shrine music...

 Lots of cows!

Some old guys were selling bamboo bugs.

I couldn't resist and bought a bata.

(Grasshopper)

I probably didn't go because I didn't want to ascend the stairs. This time I approached from above, so I only walked down the steps.

Some other guardians.

Daffodils.

I dunno. A little help here...

I see these cabbages all the time, first time I've seen one in bloom.

Another area with blossoms and blooms.

This year's slogan. Now or Never. Not very optimistic.

I picked up some veggies on the way home and got some Yuzu and Raspberry Kitkats on sale.

That's it for today's jaunt. Tonight was the Pink Moon, the first full moon after the first of Spring and the week before Easter. Did I capture a UFO on film??