As we get further into April, there are more options around town to see flowers. A quick search told us that there were 3 main flower festivals very close to us this weekend - wisteria, peonies, and azaleas. My husband called around and learned that the cold snap and rain we had last week deterred the wisteria and peonies from blooming, but the early blooming azaleas had made an appearance. This determined that we would be spending our Saturday at Nezu Jinja (Nezu Shrine).
So, in typical fashion, we headed out the door before some of my friends are even out bed on a Saturday morning. The website said the crowds usually thickened by noon. Our plan was to get there by 11, to miss the rush.
When we emerged from Todaimae Station, there were signs directing us to the festival. It only took 5 minutes to walk from the station to Nezu Shrine, where the azaleas were in bloom.
Walking through the entrance of the shrine, there is a winding koi and turtle pond that extends for almost the entire length of the shrine. My son was super excited to see the turtles sunbathing and taking it easy.
Nezu Jinja is home to a fantastic torii gate path, reminiscent of those we visited in Kyoto. Although I was excited to see the vibrant toriis, I was preoccupied with getting to the flowers. I wandered through the red gates pretty fast, not giving it as much attention as it deserved.
After enjoying the shrine for a bit, we found the entrance to the azalea garden. During the festival it costs ¥200/$1.80 for each adult (children are free) to enter. It was worth every yen. Despite the fact that only the early azaleas were blooming, they were incredible. There were bushes that I couldn't even see a speck of green because the flowers were so dense. They did a good job grouping the bushes together to create gorgeous views of bloom after bloom.
Pacific rhododendron is the official flower of Washington State. Since azaleas and rhododendrons are part of the same plant family, the garden made me think of home and a wonderful trip with friends where we visited a huge rhododendron garden in what seemed like the middle of nowhere Washington.
The colors were stunning. I took my time wandering through the paths. My son and I couldn't pick favorites, although a few were a bit more memorable than others.
While the festival is 'only' celebrating their 50th anniversary, the shrine continually celebrates being one of the oldest shrines in Japan. In fact, the main shrine building is dated back to 1705, but the history of the place of worship is even older. There are even 3 structures that have been named "National Important Cultural Properties " - two of the toriis and a really beautiful lattice wall. Designations like this are really important in Japan.
We made sure to explore the shrine. As we walked around, my husband heard an announcement that the shrine was allowing people to go into the main shrine to view historical artwork rarely available to the public. If he wasn't with us, I totally would have missed this announcement. My husband purchased us tickets for ¥300 each. As soon as we entered we were informed that no photography was allowed. So, I tucked away my phone, enjoyed the short blessing by the Shinto priest, and then slowly wandered through the two rooms displaying ancient poetry and paintings. My son and I picked our favorites based on the colors and designs of the fabric worn by the people in the paintings.
I'm so happy we went to Nezu Jinja's azalea festival today. It was a beautiful sunny day, made even better by a fluffy bed of bright flowers, seeing an interesting historical property, and spending time with wonderful company (my husband and son). Oh, and the shrine wasn't crowded at all!!! It felt like a perfect spring day.
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