The Japanese Gardens

This afternoon when I went for a run I took a different route than usual. This took me past what I thought was the Japanese Gardens, and eventually to the actual Japanese Gardens. This is a private space near the other parks in Palermo, and I could see that it cost $8 pesos to get in. So after finishing my run and showering, I went back out to the gardens to check them out.

Recently I've read about them from work, and I wanted to see them for myself. I got there around 5 pm and there was a long line to get in, but once inside I could see the various ponds and plants set up in a half-hazard style. In many ways, it reminded me of a mini golf course, lacking a pirate ship of course. The coy ponds were filled with colorful fish opening their mouths wide for the food that everyone was throwing down to them.

I circled around the area and sat down for a while, taking a few pictures at the same time. A sign told me that the garden was founded in 1967 when the emperor of Japan visited Argentina, and it represents the friendship between the two nations. What surprised me was the biggest rat I've ever seen. It was so big that I actually thought it was a gopher at first, but it was definitely a rat, showing no fear of humans. It had to be the same size as or bigger than New York City rats.

I stayed in the garden for about an hour and then slowly headed home through the other parks. There was a powerful sun today and it was extraordinary out, so I think my face has gone a shade of red darker. I liked the Japanese Gardens and will definitely take my next visitors there. Just as a side note though, I feel that the real allure of those kinds of places is the peaceful quiet you find with less people around. With so many tourists and locals alike there, it was a bit much. But it was a Sunday afternoon, so that will happen. If you go, try to check it out during the week if possible.