Shobuen: the Iris Garden

I'm itching for spring, so I thought I'd post some pictures of one of my favorite places near our home-Shobuen.  Shobu means iris in Japanese.  And Shobuen is a lovely little park crammed with irises, hydrangeas, and tons of other flowers, all artfully arranged in Japanese style.  We went there last year a few times, but most memorably we went with my mom while she was here visiting just two days before Clara's birth.  It's nice because it is close enough to our house to walk, and while there is usually an entrance fee (a few hundred yen each, nothing bad) we also seem to go when it's free.  I think going on July 2 was brilliant because nearly everything was still in bloom and since it was past peak iris season (Apr-June), it was free. 

Incidentally, hydrangeas are my new favorite flowers.  They grow everywhere here and they are so gorgeous!