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Tokugawaen

This Japanese garden was established in the ruins that used to be called “Ōzone Yashiki ” for Tokugawa Mitsutomo (1625-1700), the second lord of the Owari branch of the Tokugawa clan, to spend his retired life in 1695. The ground is said to have about 44 ha.

• Nagoya
• Parks & Gardens

因為先去附近的喫茶館吃名古屋經典的早餐，因此才先走進德川園，沒想到居然剛好遇到冬牡丹的展覽，有點驚訝到，沒想到冬天居然可以看到這麼多牡丹花，這些嬌嫩的牡丹花花瓣層層堆疊、色彩飽滿，看過一輪後讓我理解古人為何會為牡丹著迷。
恰好遇上流雛儀式，也讓靜態的女兒節多了動感，沒想到除了下鴨神社外，還能遇到流雛儀式，且這場流雛儀式一般人也可以參與，可惜為了欣賞美術館的雛人形，來不及參加。
原以為冬季庭園會顯得單調，實際上瀑布、水景與牡丹當冬天的庭園也顯得鮮活，也讓我重新看見書中所言，大名庭園背後對技術、資源與空間的掌控，究竟是怎麼一回事。

Tokugawa Art Museum

This museum curates Owari Tokunaga family’s treasures. The 19th feudal lord Tokugawa Yoshichika opened it in 1935 to preserve the culture of lordship for the future generations.

• Nagoya
• Museums

I originally came because I was drawn to the Owari Tokugawa family's hina doll exhibition. But once I stepped inside, what impressed me most was the Noh stage. It was so huge that even an ultra-wide-angle lens could barely capture it all.

The tea rooms, study rooms, and artifacts are also reassembled in a way that helps fill in the missing atmosphere of the Honmaru Palace at Nagoya Castle. This museum doesn't just place cultural objects behind glass. It lets you see how they originally existed within samurai family life.

Even after political power has faded, these artifacts still carry on the lingering glow of the Tokugawa family through the way they are displayed in the space.

Kanazawa Confectionery Wooden Mold Museum

A museum of Kanazawa’s confectionery culture located on the second floor of the main store of Morihachi, a long-established Japanese sweets shop with over 400 years of history. Around 1,000 items, including wooden molds used to make sweets since the Edo period, are displayed in glass cases by era. The molds come in a wide range of sizes and designs, and part of the fun is imagining what kinds of sweets were made from them as you look around.

• Kanazawa
• Museums

I originally just wanted to make a pilgrimage to see the century-old wooden molds for wagashi, but the experience ended up being much richer than I expected. From shibugami and rakugan wooden molds to kinka-to, a type of sugar confection unique to the Hokuriku region, I was able to fill in a lot of knowledge I had only seen in bits and pieces in books. I also truly came to understand that the value of these wooden molds isn’t just in the carving, but also in the careful attention paid to selecting the wood, drying it, and preserving it.

What surprised me the most was the display of confectionery plates from the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras. The Taisho-era pieces, especially those with Western-style and romantic influences, made me stop and look closely at almost every single one. That section alone made the visit completely worth it. In the tea ceremony, confectionery plates are usually supporting players, but here they became the sole stars of the show.

After the visit, I went to the dining area next door and enjoyed a fresh wagashi with yellow bean paste, Kaga bocha, and kuzukiri. The mother-of-pearl lacquer tray and Kutani ware also made the whole experience feel even more distinctly Kanazawa. I hadn’t planned on buying souvenirs, but after seeing the video showing how Choseiden is made, I couldn’t resist and bought a small box to take back to Taiwan. Once I tried it after returning home, I was amazed by its light, crisp texture that quickly melted away. I immediately regretted not buying a bigger box QQ

Kiunkaku

Built in 1919 (Taisho 8), Kiunkaku is a modern villa and one of Atami's three great villas, alongside the private villas of the Mitsubishi Iwasaki family and the now-lost Sumitomo villa.

• Shizuoka
• Museums

Kiunkaku was bigger than I expected, and there was more to see than I had imagined. The Japanese-style corridors were quiet and bright, while the Western-style building’s stained glass and Roman bath were elegant without feeling gaudy. The two styles worked together surprisingly well. Personally, I thought they were the highlights of Kiunkaku.

I especially loved the stained glass. Even by today’s standards, it still feels timeless.

The café near the exit serves coffee and wagashi. The sofa was beautiful, but a little hard to sit on, so I ended up moving over near the counter. Unexpectedly, the retro space matched the colors of my kimono that day, and I got my favorite photo from the whole trip there.

Overall, the building is very well preserved. It isn’t just sealed off as an exhibit, either. You can see that it’s still being used, with classes offered for local residents, which makes it feel like the old building is truly still alive.

Atami Plum Garden

Established in Meiji 19 (1886) by the wealthy Yokohama businessman Sobei Motogi, this urban park has its roots in a plum garden. Covering approximately 44,000 square meters along the Ichigawa River, the vast garden boasts 469 plum trees of 60 different varieties, including specimens over 100 years old.

• Shizuoka
• Parks & Gardens

Atami Plum Garden has nearly 60 varieties and more than 470 plum trees. Each tree has a sign showing its variety. The blooming season runs from January through March, and if you time it right, you can enjoy them together with the Atami cherry blossoms.

There are walking paths and five bridges set along the valley stream. During the Plum Festival, there are food stalls and performances, but since the garden is so spacious, it still feels comfortable and pleasant for flower viewing despite the lively atmosphere.

Seeing all the different plum blossoms here also made it easier for me afterward to tell the difference between plum blossoms and cherry blossoms.