Sankei-san and the lotus flower

 
When a lotus flower opens, it makes a popping sound. Many people may have heard of this. Unfortunately, in reality, lotus flowers unfurl slowly and quietly, so you can't hear them.
 
I have to check the truth behind this!
 
However, the lotus flowers are at their best from 7am to 9am and close by noon, so you have to get up early to see them in bloom.
 
I searched to see if there was a better way to see that moment, and coincidentally, an early morning lotus viewing event was currently being held at Sankeien Garden in Honmoku, Yokohama. ) The park is open at 6:00 AM only on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
 
I got up early and went to Sankeien Garden.
 

 
 
But before that, I would like to briefly explain Sankeien.
 
Sankeien is a Japanese garden created by Tomitaro Hara (later known as Sankei), a businessman during the Meiji era.
 
Hara Sankei is also famous as an antiquities collector, and he seems to have believed in making Sankeien and his antiquities collection widely available to the public.
 
He is praised for his achievements in creating an environment in which many people can benefit from the wealth he built for a long time, and also in preventing ancient Japanese art from going overseas. He is also famous for giving up his personal property and working hard for the citizens of Yokohama during the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, and this is something that should never be left out when talking about the history of Yokohama, which overcame the hardships of the Great Earthquake and developed to this extent. He is a person who cannot do it.
 
 
*If you would like to know more about Sankei Hara, click here http://www.ifsa.jp/index.php?Ghara
 

 
 
Now, let's get to the report on the lotus viewing party!
 
First of all, when we entered the park, there were many people even though it was early in the morning. I arrived around 7:50. This is what the lotus flowers look like when they bloom.
 

 
Near the lotus pond on the right side of the park, we found the famous lotus shower that can only be seen at this lotus viewing party!
 
Elementary school students watched in amazement as the lotus leaves repelled water and the water fell down in beautiful curves. This might be a perfect topic for independent research.
 
For elementary school students who are tired of growing morning glories and want to take it to the next level, please take this opportunity.
 
Starting at 8:30 a.m., seeds for cultivation will be given away to 20 people through a lottery.
 

 
There are also small bamboo forests and hydrangeas. The best time to see them has passed, but they are blooming despite the heat.
 
 

 
However, if you wake up early, you will be hungry.
 
 
After all, Sankei Hara's garden is huge, measuring 17 hectares, so just walking around is a good exercise and will naturally make you feel hungry.
 
But don't worry. The three restaurants in the park have a wide selection of limited morning menus that are only available during this period.
 
I went to Sankeien Saryo to get the "Morning Gayu Set". The set includes miso soup, hot spring eggs, Kishu plums, and water yokan, and the rice porridge will be even more delicious if you add wasabi, which has a crunchy stem texture, to your liking. (Other limited menu items include Chinese-style porridge, rice ball set, and barley grated rice.)
 

 
Once we had had our fill, we continued our walk around the park and came across a small gazebo called Hatsune Chaya. It is said that barley tea and fragrant tea were served here for free to visitors in the past.
is.
 
There was a story written on the information board about how Ryunosuke Akutagawa also visited this teahouse and had tea there. So he improvised a line like this.
  
``Autumn of hot water and incense roasting''
  
However, in a letter addressed to Sankei's son Zenichiro Hara, he wrote that this haiku was ``so commonplace that it weakened it.''
 

 
In addition, most of the buildings within the park are designated as important cultural properties or tangible cultural properties designated by the city. For more information, click here http://www.sankeien.or.jp/guide/index.html
 
Finally, I decided to follow the arrow pointing to the observatory and head towards Shofukaku, a villa built by Zenzaburo, the first generation member of the Hara family.
 
The road to Shofukaku is like this. It looked like Totoro's forest.
 

 
Shofukaku is said to be the place where the Indian thinker Tagore stayed for several months and wrote the poem ``The Wandering Bird.'' However, it collapsed during the Great Kanto Earthquake, and the observatory you can see now stands on the site.
 

 
 
Here is the view from the second floor of the building.
 

 
This area of Honmoku is supposed to have been reclaimed, so when you think about how this area used to be all ocean in the past, it brings to mind an amazing view...

While facing the sea, I took a moment to imagine what kind of poems Tagore would have written.
 

 
Sankei Hara was particularly fond of lotus flowers, and when he was alive, he had them planted all over the large pond.

It is said that when the lotus flowers beautifully colored the pond, a tea ceremony was held to view the lotuses.

When he passed away in 1932, he strictly declined all flowers and offerings, and his final decoration was a few lotus flowers.

Please enjoy a summer morning at Sankei-en Garden with Sankei-san's beloved lotus flowers.
 

 
Lastly, I forgot to mention that the flowers did not make a popping sound when they opened.

 
 
 
 
<This event has ended. 〉

Click here for this event

"Enjoy with lotuses. Early morning lotus viewing party"

Date and time: Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays between 7.13 and 8.11 Opens at 6:00 AM (until 17:00)

Related projects

Elephant nose cup

Liquor or lotus tea is poured into a lotus leaf and drunk through the lotus stem. It originated in China and is a popular seasonal event.

Date and time: 8/10 (Sat) and 11 (Sun) 10:30-11:30

Capacity: Sake (100 people), Lotus tea (100 people)

Price: 100 yen per person (separate entrance fee)

Location: Special venue near the lotus pond

*Must be 20 years or older to drink alcohol. Please refrain from driving.

Let's make a hand-colored postcard

Add color to postcards printed in black and white with old photos of Sankeien Garden, lotus photos, etc. to make them your own.

Date and time: 8/10 (Sat) and 11 (Sun) 10:00-12:00/13:00-15:00

Price: Free (separate admission fee)

Location: Kakushokaku (*This special project is one of the workshops of the summer old architecture exhibition “Enjoying Summer Vacation at Sankeien Garden”)