Escaping Tokyo For Sakatagaike Total Park

Ahh, it's nice to leave the largest metropolitan area on earth to soak up a little flora. Sakatagaike Total Park is a good option, only about an hour from Tokyo - and a world away.

The central section of the park, a meandering lake.

You've got your nature trails, muddy bogs and some nice fall color during that time of year.

Circular plaza, intruding tree.

Near the entrance to the park, a nice, rural cemetery.

A modern cable and wood pedestrian bridge spans a valley. Lovely.

A Peek At Tokun Sake Brewery Company

Time for a little stop for sake - at least to a place that makes the rice-based beverage. The old town of Sawara has the venerable Tokun Sake Brewery Company, established in 1825.

The place is old, mostly a collection of unfinished wood clapboard and a big brick smokestack.

Inside one of the old warehouses, now used for tours. Pretty. Some of the old branding irons, used for labeling barrels.

Old wood nirvana, a big pile of sake-making tools, from filter trays to buckets to barrels.

Some of the current sake offerings, in bottle and traditional barrel.

And then the modern reality of distribution, stacks of plastic crates.

Surveying Inō Tadataka's House In Sawara, Japan

Inō Tadataka is famous for producing the first map of Japan using modern surveying techniques, at least modern for around 1821, the year the map was finished. Alas, Tadataka wasn't around to bask in the triumph. He died in 1817.

If you stroll the old Edo era area of Sawara, you can duck into his house. And a museum nearby, housing many of his tools and several map sections.

Front of the house, right next to the quaint central canal.

Inside, all classic tatami mat. Out back, a sculpture of the legend.

Another view of the sedate dwelling.

Details. Rice paper lantern, all simplicity and a surveying tool.

Another look at the exterior of the house.

Empty Sawara

Either Sawara has a huge commuter population arriving by car every day or somebody just likes little, empty lots. They're everywhere around town, creating an eerie sense of displacement.

The Fabulous Floats Of The Sawara Festival

The little town of Sawara knows how to throw a big party and does it twice a year, in the spring and fall. The centerpiece of the parties is a set of massive, traditional floats, pulled by hand. If you can't make it to Sawara for a festival, no worries, you can stop by the Float Museum to see some examples and learn a little about the events.

The museum, the main section a warehouse to hold a couple of the big, multi-story floats. Impressive.

A traditional head from a float. The parades have been held for more than 300 years. At the base of the floats, elaborate wood carving. These floats ain't no disposable, Rose Bowl Parade variety.

Big straw fish.

A detail from the top of a float. Curious. The float of the big nose.

What all the fuss looks like.

Sweet Sawara Town In Japan

If you're in Tokyo and have a sudden urge to see what life in the Edo period (1603-1867) looked like, just hop a train for Sawara town, only about an hour away. The fine folks of Sawara have restored and preserved a section of the city, creating a classic Ye Olde Edo Towne experience.

The historic section is centered on a meandering canal. Sawara prospered as a rice transport hub.

The Edo architecture.

Many structures are built in a horizontal wood siding pattern, left unfinished to darken with age.

Details. Absurdly intricate, embellished drain pipe work. A little pedestrian alley.

Another look at life along the canal.

Small Details, Small Cities In Japan

What's up little Narita? How about a parking lot, retaining wall holding back a sea of bamboo?

Hey Sawara, nice wrapping of a building being restored. Why peek when the the building underneath is the art? The saddest sight in Japan, an empty vending machine. Impossible!

Tender topiary (big bonsai?) carefully isolated from construction. Japan, the neatest place on Earth.

Art Deco barbershop. Cute curtains (old sheet?) along a dreary alley.

Back in Narita, a gift shop selling, well, what is it selling?

Fall In Naritasan Park

Ahh, fall in Japan, nothing better than being in a country that is obsessed with organization, even when it comes to nature. Time to take a walk around Naritasan Park, near Tokyo.

Little lakes, lots of fall color.

A babbling brook and deep forest.

A meadow with buildings in the background, looking a little like a Japanese train set.

Slight augmentation to nature, monuments in a graveyard area and braces for fragile trees. All perfectly neat.

The setting, perfect for some historical fantasy re-creations.