Hitotsugi Park (cont.)

So my second day in the park was not quite as eventful and insightful as the first. The first and main reason is that it was a bit rainy. I'm pretty sure that people don't wonder in and hangout in parks while it's raining unless they happen to be a student in a Neighborhoods Narratives class. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I was the only such student there. However, I think there should be enough here to keep a bit of interest.

This time I decided to try and find a different path up to the park. This took down a side street that twisted and turned strait up a hill. The hill itself was made of perfectly fit stone blocks reaching strait up to the park. It reminded me of old Japanese castle walls. When I finally reached the top, the road bent around to an intersection with a large building resting on te park side of it. At first I thought I'd hit a dead end and that the park could only be reached from the stairs of the previous day. But upon reaching the building compound, I'd discovered that in walking through it to the back, a small opening to the park could be found. Nicely hidden.

Finally in the park, I noticed a really nice looking red handkerchief that someone must had dropped there earlier. To tell the truth, it looked quite expensive but I'm not the best judge of quality or cost when it comes to Japanese pocket hankies. But the interesting thing to note is that it lay exactly how it had fallen: still partially folded and untouched. It still amazes me that it would go undisturbed through the day. Only in Japan would the general population trust that its owner would be back for it eventually.

My other two discoveries were in the small stone stools under the veranda. Each one of them had some sort of writing on them aimed for children. I wasn't able to read them but i did manange to get some shots of them and hope to steal the eyes of a japanese friend to find out what exactly they are. If I had to guess, I'd say they were childrens rhymes and games. I'm not sure how old they are.

The second discovery is on the side of the building walling off the only non plant infested boundery of the park. There was a giant, detailed map full of writing and points of what look to be an older time. Again, I'm going to need some Japanese eyes to decipher this one.











Then just as naturally, right next to the giant map was a faded poster reminding the public not to pour grease down the drain. It showed a whole detailed outline of a person cooking and then disposing of it properly. Good things to know but I don't think I would ever pour grease down a drain regardless of a giant faded poster.

Again, I hope to see some children playing in the park at some point. I'm guessing that as dusk draws near and people arrive back to their homes from work, the locals venture out to the park a bit more. I'm going to try and time it a bit better next time and hope the skies stay clear enough.


I'll post a few shots of the children's seats in the park. Hopefully I'll get all of them up soon.