Omiya Park

Today I ventured out to Omiya Park. About a 20-25 minute walk from my apartment, I was very pleased with what I found. Omiya park is a wonderment to behold. It has everything from a baseball stadium to a zoo. With winding paths, flower gardens and kyo ponds I enjoyed a peaceful stroll through its maze like set up. Crows are abundant here in Japan, especially in the cities. However, the park has much more to offer. There are many types of birds and sounds that I have never seen or heard before. I hope the summer will bring even more animals to the park. The ponds are full of kyo fish. It's fun to watch their heads bob up and down along the shore hoping for a bite to eat.
There are so many people walking through the park as well. Mainly the elderly or middle aged women who don't work. They're all being active in some way or other. People doing aerobics, walking, running and biking. Some come, I assume, to just sit and listen to the crows bickering at each other. Others come for the sites. Photographers waiting for that one bird or perfect lighting. Yet even more come to visit the temples. The temples were beautiful and well kept. You can witness tons of people walking up to the temple shrines to offer their prayers. I was nervous to approach the temples or even enter them because I didn't want to appear disrespectful. I know very little about the customs and rituals, which makes going in very nerve racking. I eventually made my way in out of pure curiosity. I didn't take pictures because it seemed inappropriate. Many people were reaching out to the trees in the courtyard. From what I know, the Japanese have a great respect for nature and believe it has a strong spiritual presence. They strongly believe in their traditions, culture and nature. I can't wait to learn more.
I enjoyed visiting Omiya park and I can't wait to go back. Hopefully I'll be able to see some baseball games or visit the zoo. I think the park will be exciting during the summer months and I look forward to it.

Brian