Fallen leaves / Nezu shrine

The season of the ginkgo leaves has almost finished. The leaves that entertained us have started to fallen. Last Sunday morning, Lee and Shige visited the Nezu shrine to enjoy the last yellowed ginkgos.

Last time we visit there, we came into the big festival of 300 anniversary (the festival's report is here), so the shrine yard was filled with so many people. Last Sunday, there was filled with calm and peaseful atomosphere.

Sniff shiff. Lee was cheking th sweeped and collected "momiji (maple)" leaves. Right after Shige shot this photo, Lee jumped into this "bed".

The history of this shrine had started around 1900 years ago (really?!). The original shrine had been established at Sendagi. In the reign of Tokugawa, the shrine had become bigger and bigger under the aegis of the Shogun family. Then, 300 years ago, the 5th Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi had removed and rebuilt in the present place. The 6th Shogun Tokugawa Ienobu held the gorgeous festival in 1706. You can check the sketch of the 1706 parade in previous post. The festival we saw last Sepetemver was the 300 aniversary of it.

In the shrine yard there are many beautiful national important cultural assets, including the main building and the gates.

Ginkgo leaves turned to bright yellow / Kishibojin-Zoshigaya-Myougadani

Finally, it's the last month of the year 2006. Tree's leaves are turning to autumn color and falling down.
When I(Shige) was a child, I often smelled the fall leaf burning, and it told me that winter was coming soon. It was smoky but a little bit sweet scent. I loved that inscence.
Nowadays, I seldom get a sniff of the burning of fallen leaves.
How is your neighborhood?

I went for a walk with Lee to enjoy the yellow colored ginkgo leaves.

Kishibojin has an old ginkgo tree that is said to be 600 years old.

Kishibojin has perfectly changed the atmosphere from the summer(see the previous post).
I love both, the summer and the fall.


Zoshigaya cemetery's ginkgo leaves.


At the "Kyoiku-no-Mori" park.

This is the place I routinely visit during the morning walk with Lee.

This place was originally the campus of a university. At 1st, "Tokyo Koto Shihan Gakko(Tokyo higher normal school)" was established here in Meiji era, then it was restructured as "Tokyo Kyoiku Daigaku(Tokyo University of Education)" after the WW2. When it turned to the University of Tsukuba in 1975, most of the facilities were moved to Tsukuba city of Ibaraki prefecture, and the vacant site of the University turned into the park. This park includes the gym, indoor swimming pool, the playground, etc. The closest station is Myogadani of the Marunouchi-line (Tokyo Metro).