Another beautiful day! That calls for a trip to another garden. Which garden is best? Actually this time the question is which garden is closest to the tea shop. We want to stock up on the gyokuro tea before we leave in a couple of weeks. That way we will be sipping the most tasty tea available to us while we are in Copenhagen. We decided to sit down for a cuppa while we were in the shop. There were two different ways to get matcha tea, Koicha and Usucha. Koicha was described as thick and viscous while Usucha was just your regular cup of tea. When they brought out my cup of tea my reaction must have given away my confusion. The server told me to drink this cup and then when I was done they will add more hot water so I can finish the cup. The level of viscosity was on par with molasses or a thick honey. I got green on my mustache, lips and tongue! From there we walked over to the Imperial Castle grounds where we strolled through the gardens. The gardens were pretty low key but it was a nice day so we still enjoyed the stroll.
New old?
One fancy hotel
A fancy door to boot
A unique way to tour the city
I choose you, pikachu
Welcome to Ippodo tea
A good haul
Pre sweetened, so no thanks
An actual tea plant
So very thick
The fine lines on the top of the rim are from my mustache hairs
Leslie has a normal cup of tea
I tilt the cup and I have to wait for the tea to arrive at the edge!
Mmmmmm, messy
At the Imperial Castle, sweeping the rocks
A guard shack
Float in the moat
The gate that we could not enter
More moat
Love the tree shapes
Another entrance where we could not enter, they are so particular when it comes to Royalty
Only one water bird seen in all this water
A guard shack
These were quite detailed and made from cut stone
Floral motifs
Very delightful
The wind is whipping up
The reflection of the guard shack
Finally a gate we can enter
These fish were used to adorn the tops of the roofs
The large stones are not stacked like bricks, rather it is more like a puzzle
It takes a village of gardeners
Maybe two villages, the green village and the white one
The lawn was immacualte
Very few roses in the rose garden
The garden was small as well
Not made of leggo
Some of the original plans are still in the Tokyo Museum
They were used to rebuild it after WW2
Some of the oldest granite rocks on the site
Blooms in a small tree
The secondary gate
A member of the Dull Man's Club taking pictures of the hinges
Hot Dog!
Tasty treats coming home with us
We have determined who is actually number 1
