10 days in Japan - 10/29/2022 to 11/7/2022

Day 2- Shinjuku Gyoen Park -10/30/22

Gyoen park , Part 3

We are now heading to another area of the park.

It is so nice to be walking around in the area.

Path way leading to another pond.

Kami no ike pond (upper pond)

Toro, Japanese stone lantern.  Their forebears came originally from China, where lanterns can still be admired in Chinese gardens and Buddhist temples

Gorgeous wooden bridge in the middle of the pond.

We are now headed to the greenhouse

The greenhouse at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden looks like a glassed-in indoor jungle. This botanical garden features orchids, unusual plants from the subtropics, plants in danger of extinction, large trees, ponds and waterfalls. It's divided into pond, tropical, subtropical and desert areas.

The interior is quite spacious and made of glass so there is a lot of natural light inside.

Purple orchids.

Tropical plants are not easy to grow and require a lot of light and water along with high humidity and high temperatures that mustn't fall below 20C at night and about 25-28C in the daytime. Such conditions require a well thought greenhouse construction and special materials. During the colder seasons there must be heating system and ventilation arranged in such a way that the plants within are not damaged. The soil, too, needs constant work and when you consider the effort involved and the conditions necessary, one can appreciate all the more just impressive the greenhouse is.

Green and lust vegetation.

We are now on the second floor of the greenhouse looking down below.

A bridge on the upper level.  See how tall the trees are.  We are on the 2nd floor and the trees are way above us

Tropical vegetation.

A small waterfall coming from the top of the rock.

The waterfall was added to create moisture that is much needed for tropical plants.

Plant growing on rocks.

Prickly Pear cactus on the left and a variety of succulent on the right.

A pond with water lilies.

More aquatic plants in the pond.

Banana tree on the right.

We are now leaving the Greenhouse.

NEXT.... Gyoen Park,  part 4