Suburban Saturday

Ahhh, weekends.

Those 2 days of blissful relaxation.  Or perspiration. Or exploration. Or organization.

I wanted to take advantage of this one, before the school year really hits its stride.

So, off to explore some of the peaceful green spaces out here in the western tokyo suburbs.

The Edo Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum (no acronym for that one!) is located in one corner of the expansive Koganei-koen a mere 15 minutes from my house by bike.

From the museum website:
"Since the Edo period, Tokyo has lost many valuable historical buildings because of fires, floods, earthquakes and warfare. Today, the city’s valuable cultural heritage is still being eroded due to social and economic changes.

In 1993, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government established the seven-hectare Edo-Tokyo Open-air Architectural Museum as part of the Edo-Tokyo Museum. This museum aims to relocate, reconstruct, preserve and exhibit historical buildings of great cultural value that are impossible to preserve at their actual places as well as to inherit these valuable cultural heritages to future generations."

I was amazed at how fascinating a bunch of old houses can be! Quite a few were houses of rich families or architects, and provided a fascinating mix of western and japanese styles. Some had opulent carpeting, others maintained the more traditional wood flooring - all had tatami rooms of various sizes and number. There were also some farmhouses, with a lower area of earthen floor and a step-up to the 'clean' area, with in-house fire pits for cooking and making tea in oh-so-clever hanging teapots. Our final moments were spent in the shops of a 'main street' including a public bath house. 

 In a stunning example of the trusting efficiency of Japan, there were an array of umbrellas waiting in stands at each house - dainty, frilly varieties for shading delicate skin from the sun; serious, large varieties for guarding visitors (and their cameras) from raindrops. So even as the rain came pouring down, we were able to move between the houses in a relatively dry state. (Once we figured out the difference in umbrellas, of course!)

Curiosity sated, we continued on our adventure by taking a leisurely bike ride along the Tamako Bike Road, which cuts through the suburbs from Mitaka to the Tama Lake resevoir. It passes train stations, community gardens, schools, and residential areas before ending at a beautiful park at the edge of Tama Lake. Just another example of the availability of peaceful green space even in the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. As someone so sagely noted as we pedaled under a canopy of leafy green, it's a necessity to have such spaces when so many people are living and commuting in such close proximity to each other. 

Our ride back was hastened due to the darkening skies, but we were still caught in a deluge that warranted a break under a convenient set of umbrellas (though this was nothing compared to the Great Brewery Ride of 2012, when we faced much fiercer elements.... did I not mention that? Hmmm... a story for another day, perhaps). 

Click here to see all the pics from the day if you are interested!