Shinjuku Gyoen according to the Japanese Tourist Board "is an oasis with rich natural environment that has seasonal landscapes..."
It generally costs Y200 (about £2) for an adult to enter the park but because June is 'environment' month, the first week of June is free! Fantastic...a great place to go when you have arrived in the country at 5am after an 11 hour flight, found the hotel at 7am and then been told that you can't check in until 2pm! That means hanging about the busy streets of Tokyo, with serious jet lag for 7 hours....hence the need to find a park to lie down in!
I found a sunny spot (too hot), found a shady spot (too many monster ants) and then found a tea room (just right). I thought it was a WI outfit for a moment because the ladies, all dressed in proper geisha-style kimonos, were of a certain age...lovely of course, and after presenting me with my green tea in lacquer bowl and Japanese sweet, she sat next to me and showed me how to hold my right hand when picking up the bowl and then to turn the bowl so that the lettering (not shown below) is turned towards your left thumb - all very artful! Note the massive 'toothpick' for hacking into the 'sweet'. Still no idea what it was even though I've finished it!
View across to temple set within the park - just out of view in the window above!
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