In mid-July, author friend Jonelle Patrick and I headed over to Ueno Park to see the lotus in bloom on Shinobazu Pond, just before the start of the Ueno Natsu Matsuri (Summer festival). Lotus blossoms open early in the morning, and close before noon, so you need to get up early to catch them at their peak. We arrived at the pond before 9 a.m., and walked around to the place where the festival setup was going on. The stands were still under construction, but the hundreds of furin (風鈴)–Japanese wind bells–were already hung and chiming away in the breeze.
Read moreChimes and Lotus: Summer in Ueno Park
