The drizzle let up after we left the Meiji Jingu Shrine, and during our short walk through the Imperial Palace Garden, umbrellas were pretty much “optional.” Those of us raised in the Pacific Northwest are drip-dry, and sprinkles, especially when it’s 80 degrees out, don’t faze us at all.

Thousands of blooming irises are the focal point of the garden. Rumor has it there are people hired to count the blossoms every day! That sounds like my kind of job!

We walked along hedgerows of pink azaleas just passing their prime, and wound our way by ponds of coy and decorative fences of bamboo.

As at the Meiji Shrine, our group was quietly reflective. And with that in mind, I’m going to let these photos speak for themselves. “They say” a picture is worth a thousand words, and I’m sure I wrote enough yesterday to more than cover me today.

Enjoy!