With the Cherryblossom Craze finally calmed down,  the next flower mania takes over Japan; the roses are in full bloom!

Near our house is a famous park, not the one with the castle, but the one built in the middle of the river surrounded by skyscrapers and highways: Nakanoshima park, literally meaning “island in the middle”. There is a huge European-style rose garden with maybe a hundred different types of roses.

We bought a small bento (Japanese lunchbox), brought our mat (a nice green one!) and had a little pick -nick in the park before joining  half the population of Osaka in the rose explosion!

Pink!

 

Orange!

…A bit of both!

And the classic red ones of course:

There was a small cute-dogs-in-dresses gathering, surrounded by a group of loud and enthusiastic women ;-)

 

What I love most about this park is the heavy contrast between the beauty of the garden and the tall, ugly, concrete office buildings surrounding it.

But when you put the two together you get very interesting patterns!

 

A lovely summerday in Nakanoshima Park!