before the typhoon

Today I wanted to read all day long, so I decided to visit some parks- identified as special for historical significance or beauty! They were peaceful and had a very Japanese charm.  I wanted to find a pretty location in the shade where I could enjoy my book.
I found two parks right off the metro line- of course!

This is the Rikugi Garden: a special beauty spot and is in the typical Edo-style.  This first view is from a hilltop in the center of the garden.  The benches under the trees on the left side is where I enjoyed a snack (milk tea, pistachios, an apple and some cookies), while I read my book.

Thank goodness these guys were off the path, hanging in the their elaborate webs strung between two trees.

These hungry guys came right up to the shore with their mouths wide open, I noticed other people feeding them, so they must be drawn to people! (see the turtle too)...

 Yay for self-timered photos!

About 3 metro stops further was Koishikawa-Korakuen garden.  Places in this garden were built to recreate beauty spots in Japan and China.

The full moon bridge- supposedly the reflection of the bridge in the water creates the other half of the moon.  (I didn't see it).

 The first signs of fall color...can you see it?

It started drizzling here, so I found a small overhang and continued reading my book until the rain stopped enough to make it back to the metro.

The timing of my excursion was perfect.  There were no delays on my train lines, and the typhoon didn't hit my neighborhood until I was already safe and sound inside.  The term typhoon sounds a lot more serious than it is- basically a heavy rain and wind storm! Its pounding against the windows as I type.

Hopefully the storm will blow over tonight, because I have a busy two days ahead of me! I have a visit to a preschool in Nagoya (I get to take the bullet train tomorrow morning!!) all day long to see if I am a good fit at that school.  Then on Tuesday I am giving a demo lesson at an International English school near Yokohama.  Both schools have their pros/cons but both options seem really promising.  More details to come once things are more settled! I'm getting excited though :)