June 12 - Rikugien Gardens & the Hongo Church

PLEASE NOTE: I have not had the chance to watermark all of my photos, and it will take me a great deal of time, as I published this and my other blogs between 2010-2017. I ask you to respect my property. Feel free to use them as long as you credit me as follows: Photo by Jody McBrien, learningtheworld.org. Thank you.


Today was a busy one. I teach at 4:30, but Monday is also the only day to go to the Hongo Church REN (Refugee Empowerment Network) to talk with one of the senior staff and meet refugees working on a bead project. I also wanted to leave early so I could walk through Rikugien Gardens, which are opposite the Hongo Church, where REN is located.

It was a partly cloudy day, so not hot, and I ended up with about an hour to stroll through the "daimyo" garden built in 1702. A daimyo was a lord under a shogun, much like a duke would be under a count, and a count under a prince or king. Rikugien is a circular garden built around a pond. There are manmade hills and streams with small waterfalls and bridges. In the spring, the park is beautiful with sakura (cherry blossoms). As I walked, I was amazed by the various Japanese types of hydrangeas, both familiar and beautifully unusual; and with the remaining azaleas.

I also spotted a woman sitting by the pond working on a watercolor of the beautiful scene.

On schedule, I left the garden to go meet with a REN staff member and a couple of the refugees. Twice a month on Mondays, several of the refugees gather to create beaded jewelry. Most of them do not have a work permit, so they earn money by making this beautiful jewelry which REN sells. REN then gives them the money earned from the proceeds. The photos do not begin to do it justice.

Beaded elements on the grid used to explain them - earrings to be

All the strings used to create the jewelry

I spoke for some time with a refugee from Burundi. He has been in Japan for 12 years and applied for refugee recognition 5 times, all denied. He told me they want to see paperwork. "What are you supposed to do when there are soldiers running down your street who want to kill you?" he asked. "Stop and look for papers? That is hardly what you think about. I think that if people come with papers, the government should deny them! How could they be refugees if they had time to think about such things?" He also expressed content to be in Japan, in spite of the government's denial. "Where could I go without a visa?" he asked. "Once you know the language, the country opens up. People are kind. I like it here. It is my home."

I also spoke with a refugee from Iran, here for 18 months and awaiting the government decision. She left because of the conditions for women and because she translated a book that "was against Islam." "Even though the publisher said he would not say who translated, I felt my life was in danger." About Japan, she said it is peaceful, clean, and safe. She is also glad to be here.

I bought a beautiful blue and silver strand of beads as a necklace and a matching pair of earrings, and headed back to teach my class. We had a great class, and when I got back to the guest house, Dick had for me a beautiful and unusual green/white rose in a vase shaped like the Tokyo Tower. Great day overall!

NOTE: June 2018 date on post is republish date, not date of the event.