This morning was our Zen garden day. Anselm had declared that he wanted to see as many Zen gardens as he could, so we burned up some yen in cab fares and visited Ryoan-ji, a very spare,
"enigmatic" raked garden with stones and moss arranged as islands; Jinkaku-ji, not Zen at all, rather, golden, and crowded, so we made a quick exit; and finally Nanzen-ji and two of its sub-temple gardens, Konchi-in and another that we spotted from the top of the massive gate. Anselm roamed through the classic gardens, searching for animal life (ornamental fish and turtles) while I, thanks to a dead camera battery, did actually have a chance to contemplate quietly. I might cheat and post some pictures of some of these gardens from my 2004 trip.
Despite stretching our limits on time, we made it back to the train station, catching the shinkansen in time to meet Jessica, Lucinda and Arno at the Australian Embassy for a swim with school friends. The kids splashed joyfully for 2 straight hours while we had a beer or two (as one does) and compared notes on life abroad. The embassy is a great environment for families, with a pool and playground. After finally extricating our fish from the water, we went out for an Indian dinner in the sleek and opulent Roppongi Hills complex. We girls (Jessica, Lucinda and I) stayed on for chai and a shopping browse while the boys returned home for some sword-fighting. We lingered long in a luxurious bath shop, with lighter than air towels and waffle weave robes that were too soft to be true. Our day in Japan: the joy of things, and the joy of not-things.
"enigmatic" raked garden with stones and moss arranged as islands; Jinkaku-ji, not Zen at all, rather, golden, and crowded, so we made a quick exit; and finally Nanzen-ji and two of its sub-temple gardens, Konchi-in and another that we spotted from the top of the massive gate. Anselm roamed through the classic gardens, searching for animal life (ornamental fish and turtles) while I, thanks to a dead camera battery, did actually have a chance to contemplate quietly. I might cheat and post some pictures of some of these gardens from my 2004 trip. 
Despite stretching our limits on time, we made it back to the train station, catching the shinkansen in time to meet Jessica, Lucinda and Arno at the Australian Embassy for a swim with school friends. The kids splashed joyfully for 2 straight hours while we had a beer or two (as one does) and compared notes on life abroad. The embassy is a great environment for families, with a pool and playground. After finally extricating our fish from the water, we went out for an Indian dinner in the sleek and opulent Roppongi Hills complex. We girls (Jessica, Lucinda and I) stayed on for chai and a shopping browse while the boys returned home for some sword-fighting. We lingered long in a luxurious bath shop, with lighter than air towels and waffle weave robes that were too soft to be true. Our day in Japan: the joy of things, and the joy of not-things.
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