Tuesday 18 May 2010

The unheralded flowers of Tokyo


With the exception of cherry trees, Tokyo isn't really fame for being flower city.   After the plums in February come the cherry blossoms in March, then the azaleas,  the wisteria, hydrangeas then  irises.  It's kind of a set menu.  Wandering around the local neighbourhood, many, perhaps most,  houses have pot plants outside their home. In the absence of a 'real' garden, Tokyoites take pride in maintaining their colourful pot plants - you don't tend to find dead stalks on a plant. It's these unheralded flowers of  Tokyo that inject life and colour, taking an edge off concrete grey.  Many shops also have flowers out the front and local governments put time and effort into maintaining  hedges, parks, and gardens.   No-one seems to steal them;  perhaps even would be flower thieves appreciate how bright and happy they make a megopolis look :)





A rice / sushi shop in Yanaka,  not a flower shop as it might appear .





2 comments:

Rurousha said...

Neatly put in my place! :D

These pot plants are a joy. Can't disagree with that. I'm also astonished by how well maintained they are, usually by little old ladies in aprons and slippers ... ^^

Cecilia said...

It was a very bah-humbug reply... It would be a much drabber city if they pulled out all the azaleas.

But the potplants really do make me smile.