Holy Flower Land!
Buried somewhere in Omura, Nagasaki, is Matsumoto tsutsuji en. This is a find that is truly buried in the mountain sides. Out of all of the adventures and discoveries I have come across during my time here in Japan, this one was by far the most difficult one to find- and I even had one of my Japanese friends with me! However, this garden was amazing and was so worth the 2 1/2 hours (yes, what was supposed to be a 1 1/2 hour drive, tops, took almost 3 in search of this place)!
Japanese gardens are one of my favorite places to explore. Up until now all of the gardens that I have seen are full with greenery, bonsai trees, streams or ponds with carp, and raked rock or sand areas. This garden in particular was covered in color everywhere you looked. There were no ponds or bonsai trees leering between the flowers. But that didn’t make this garden any less extraordinary than any other Japanese garden. And the smell was as amazing as the sight!!
Matsumoto tsutsuji en was first created and owned by an elderly couple. I actually believe that now their son owns it or at least is tending to the grounds. My friend and I made a visit to the gardens at the end of April. The colors were gorgeous and many flowers were still in bloom. In just a few places, there were spots that had already bloomed and were bare. So if you make it out there, I might recommend going towards the middle of April. But as with all outdoor sight spots, bloom times can vary. Unfortunately, it’s just one of those risks that you have to take and hope that you can catch the garden completely in full bloom.
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Our roots will forever be from here, America, born and raised. Yet, life requires us to move more frequently than we care to count. Whether living stateside or abroad, you can always find us traveling somewhere. We scout out places that you only think you can dream of one day seeing and we seek out those that aren’t found in guidebooks. We then bring them to life here in our travel memos, so hopefully, one day you too can visit them or at least be able to live vicariously through us. This blog isn’t just about crossing off places from a bucket list. It’s about absorbing and learning how other cultures grow and fit into the same world that we do. Life is short and the world is big. Enjoy and get out there!
American Roots. Traveling Boots. 