Just a hop, skip and a jump from our apartment we spent our last Sunday in Japan at the gardens shown here (our apartment house is the second from the left distant high rise). It was threatening rain, so for the first time in our Tokyo sightseeing we had the gardens almost to ourselves, and they were the most beautiful of all. In the 17th century the gardens were one of the Imperial residences, but have been public since 1945.
There is a 300-year pine still standing and carefully preserved. 
Some of the double cherry trees were still blooming, and there were azalea bushes in bloom everywhere.
We had tea in the Nakajima-no-ochaya Teahouse, sitting in the exact position as General Grant had tea in 1850. Unfortunately, my head blocks General Grant in the photo behind us. I won't explain how we got out of our sitting positions after we finished our tea!
Later we ate in an Italian restaurant - the best meal we've had in all the time we've been in Japan - in our very own private room. The restaurant is owned by a retired Formula I race-car driver, Alessandro Ninnini. I think he must have come to Tokyo to teach the chefs how to prepare supurb Italian dishes - we had a delicious subtlely-dressed salad, perfectly prepared pasta pomodoro and an exquisite orange/raspberry compote dessert, all enjoyed with a lovely Italian red wine.All in all, a great last Sunday in Tokyo.
