Hakone Botanical Garden (April 11, 2026)
I wish Nana was here to enjoy this part of Japan with us.
Connie Knies is a botanist. When she’s not in service to another person, she’s tending to her garden, creating a beautiful watercolor painting of flowers, or going with friends to see world famous plants, flowers and gardens. What was special about today was not the particularly beautiful flowers (although there were many of them), but rather visiting this site as a family. Nana would have loved being here.
Wish you were here Connie. You would love this part of Japan!
Okay, just the highlights. The kids were in a particularly great mood to start with. They were posing for us and I enjoyed taking this picture:
Goofy doesn’t begin to describe this …
This is always so important. Moods can be like the weather, but without a reliable forecast. When planning a long day of walking and exploring together, the right attitude can increase the pleasure of the day.
And then, the spectacular sights only enhance the happiness, gratitude and overall joy we’re already feeling toward each other and our time spent together. That’s truly the best.
The wind blew off my hat and knocked my sunglasses diagonal. And?
Even the wind knocking my hat off only enhanced the silliness and pleasure we were all feeling. This was one of those days that we all had the right frame of mind and were out to enjoy our togetherness.
And the FISH. We weren’t expecting giant koi fish to follow us through our journey. They were so large that, despite their blackish-grey color, they stood out prominently in the water.
And the rest of the garden was vast and walkable. So many different species of plants spread out in vastly different environments all while walking on a wooden pathway to guide you to various spots along the way. It was “Zen” simple.
There was such a beauty and artistic quality to the simplicity of this garden. There was even a huge field with a walking path similar to an extra-large running track you find in schools. What was there? The micro-flowers and micro-organisms. No massive flower bushes, trees or anything like that. The simple wildflowers and natural ecosystem to admire and stroll through.
Like I said, I wish Nana was here to enjoy this with us. This is HER element. She travels the world to see botanical gardens just like this one. When I get home, I’m planning on asking her about which have been her favorites. Who knows? Maybe I’m a botanist at heart.
