It was very clear and sunny this morning so I was able to take some photos of Mt Fuji (Fuji-san.) When I've seen Fuji-San before there has always been quite a lot of snow on the top. I've included a photo below.
The park I really wanted to visit is called Shinjuku Gyoen but on arriving and finding the gate locked, a park keeper told me it was closed today. I decided to get back on the metro and travel to Yoyogi park instead as that was only one line change away.
I was pleased with my ability to navigate the Tokyo metro alone especially a journey I hadn't planned on. I do find Japan generally very accessible even the metro.
I've been to Yoyogi park before in the spring. Back then the park was full of cherry blossom and couples enjoying the spring weather. Today it was sweltering at about 27 C in the shade. The park was not empty but it wasn't busy considering the good weather. The cicadas were providing a sporadic high pitch trilling as they come to the end of their summer. The Tokyo crows were everywhere, as you can see below they are huge, not at all afraid of people and they are incredibly raucous.
I found a small flower garden which was buzzing with insects and pensioners photographing the flowers. It seems that in Japan photographing flowers (well practically anything really) is a national hobby. It is so nice to be somewhere where people don't think it's odd that I am photographing plants & flowers.
The pensioners and I patiently moved from flower to flower like lazy bees. I was lucky enough to photograph some real bees. Let me tell you these bees are huge! Twice the size of bumble bees back in the UK. There were some even bigger black tailed bees too. I couldn't get a decent picture of one of them though.
I got some pictures of a oak bush green cricket like things as well, which I'll put on my Flickr page. I saw some yellow butterflies but they're much too fast to photograph easily. I also glimpsed some huge dragon fly type insect that looked like they had a wing span as big as my hand!
After getting very hot taking photos I walked up to the Harajuku exit and up Omotesando which is a large shopping avenue with some very posh shops on it, like Prada & Louis Vuitton. There is also a toy shop called Kiddieland, which is just amazing so I had a quick look round but wanted to buy the whole shop for my nieces & nephews!
I then had lunch at Ginza Lion, opting for a hamburger steak and egg on vegetables and rice mmmm. I walked back to the hotel along the edge of the Summer Palace gardens.
Since getting back to my room at 3ish I've been watching Discovery Channel UFO conspiracy programmes. Hopefully Jase will be back soon. By the time I up load this he'll be back.
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