Spring is here and the weather can not be any better. I wish i lived nearer Tokyo or when i used to commute to Tokyo to work several years ago, i would usually take a walk after walk at a nearby park. One of those parks i love and definitely not want to miss in spring is Hamarikkyu Koen (=Park). Hamarikkyu is beautiful all season throughout the year, but particularly in spring and autumn. The best activity is to walk around the Park, enjoy the view of seasonal colors, big koi and gold fish in the pond. When you get tired, go the the center of the park where you can find a traditional Japanese rest house. You can see a life performance of *Tea Ceremony, enjoy a freshly made Japanese tea and beautifully prepared traditional sweets. Or just enjoy a relax and easygoing style of tea time a la Japanese.
*Tea Ceremony (=cha no yu) was introduced to Japan from China and perfected by Master Senno-Rikkyu based on the spirit of Zen in the 16th century. For Japanese people tea ceremony is a mental discipline for pursuing calmness and content with a profound simplicity of mind.
Please be aware that there are some rules when joining a tea ceremony, such as being quiet, still and attentive.
Usually there will be prior explanations to foreign visitors by the Head of Ceremony, such as: on ways to drink the tea, ways to move tea cup/bowl, and other details.
How to get there: Get on the JR Yamanote Line and go to Shimbashi (新
橋）. You can walk from Shimbashi to the Park. Alternatively, get off Shimbashi and take another train to Shiodome（汐留）. Check out a local map here.
From Hamarikkyu, you can take a 30 or 60 minutes ferry ride to enjoy the view of Tokyo Harbor. On a nice sunny day you can view Tokyo Tower from the ferry.
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