Chrysanthemums in the park

A few weeks ago I went with a small group to a Chrysanthemum show in Shinjuku Gyoen, a large park here in Tokyo.  It took two buses and about an hour for me to get to the park from my apartment.  Chrysanthemums were first brought to Japan from China in the 8th century A.D.  The flowers became the official seal of the Emperor of Japan.  Along with cherry blossoms in the spring, they are very important flowers in Japanese culture, particularly because of their association with the Royal Family.  Gardeners carefully cultivated these beautiful plants for an entire year and the results were very impressive!

The white flowers are all from one single stem!

In mid-November the leaves were just beginning to change color in the park.

Paper disks support these large, delicate blooms.

Hundreds of blooms from a single stem!

This little girl is feeding the koi (carp) in the pond.  We could hear the fish splashing from yards away.

Carp will eat anything!  If you look closely you can see their mouths opening wide for the bread crumbs- eeuw!

And.... flash forward three weeks.... and everywhere the leaves have turned color.   Last week, I snapped a couple of photos from a fourth grade classroom at the American School (where I occasionally substitute teach:)).    I almost felt like I was back in Littleton!  In New England, these are the colors of autumn, but here, this is what people look forward to seeing in early December!