Solar eclipse in Tokyo – a rare celestial meeting

From our balcony it was clearly visible – the celestial meeting that occurred after 173 years in Tokyo – the solar eclipse. For kids it was a wonderful experience; they were as happy as if the sun, moon, and earth came out of their textbooks.

It seems that many people in Japan prepared themselves to watch this rare eclipse that started early in the morning. As per newspaper reports, it started at 6 in the morning, but the moon’s travel to the sun’s center started at around 7:29 AM.

The sky was cloudy, but the sun was bright and powerful as usual on a summer morning. After 7 o'clock, shadows of clouds started becoming darker, giving a feeling that it might rain at any moment. We woke children up from sleeping to show the rare celestial event. The school had announced a two-hour late opening, but Japanese schools were working as usual.

Regain Waning Romance in Koishikawa Korakuen Garden

26 minutes by train, Koishikawa Korakuen Garden was the easily accessible garden from our place, not yet visited, found appealing and recommended by many visitors. When we reached, the climate was good. The day was not recommended for an outing since rain was on schedule in the afternoon.

Koishikawa Korakuen Garden is near the Iidabashi station along the Oedo line. This is the nearest train station. If we take the Iidabashi station of the Tozai line, we need to walk a bit and cross an overbridge to reach the garden. From Oedo line Iidabashi station, it takes around 3 minutes, and from Tozai line, it takes more than 8 minutes by walk. The JR Sobu line also has a stop at Iidabashi and takes around 8 minutes to reach the garden.