Iris (Ayame) Viewing

     Nihonjin are flower lovers with a matsuri (festival) every month to celebrate each stem. This week ayame (iris) are in the spotlight. "Shall we go to the Ayame Matsuri in Itako?" posed a pair of hana (flower) loving tomodachi san some weeks ago. Hai: Tokyoites typically satisfy the ayame urge in the garden at Meiji Jingu (the Shinto shrine dedicated to the 19th century emperor), which is conveniently located on the Yamanote sen (Circle Line) at Harajuku. Visiting Itako entails a trip via highway bus (Y 1,800 return) from Tokyo eki to Ibaraki prefecture heading north at 8:20 AM. By 9:30 an obliging taxi driver at the Kashima stop assured us that indeed the flowers reached their peak. Hai, by the calendar rainy season has started but not a drop falls in Itako.

     First stop: A boat ride on the Tonegawa, second longest river in the country, flowing along fields of thousands of irises in shades of blue and purple. Women in colorful costumes with straw hats attacked like a pack of coyote, looking for boat riders. Tomodachi-san rejects the ticket price, until it comes down (Y 1,000 each). Onto a six-seater tented wedding boat we crawl, joined by a trio of men; like brides of yore, we float downstream as boat lady steers, offers a few facts about the 500 species of ayame and croons enka (ballads). On shore kindergarteners on field trips stride past the handkerchief-sized ayame, while the silver (over 65) set snap photos of each other. No one is camera shy in Nihon.

     Next stop: A country inn that serves kaisecki (a traditional multi course meal). "I ate breakfast at 5 AM, let's have lunch now," said tomodachi san. At 11:15 a taxi dropped us on a hillside at the end of a long leafy drive much like old Edo. Shoes neatly lined up in the entry, a server in kimono ushered us to the comfort of a private tatami (strawmat) room. For two hours kimono servers present us with small dishes of seasonal treats, including a grilled fish (ayu) skewered with a stick on a rectangular platter. Oishkata (delicious)! Back on the highway bus, a happy trio return to Tokyo eki, sip Starbucks and marvel at the rain-free day. Can it be four weeks until blast off out of Nihon back to the West?