My schedule is ridiculously busy 95% of the time. I work 5-6 days a week, 4 of them being 12 hour days usually. This means that days off that coincide with my man’s days off come few and far between, so when we realized that we had Monday off together, with no other plans, we knew we had to take advantage of it. And when I say “we”, I mean “I”, and I forced my presence on him for the entireee day.
Sometimes we get stuck in this “there’s nothing to do around here” “I don’t know what to do, what do you want to do” “let’s fake research the area for things to do for hours until the day is over and we’ve wasted it sitting around trying to figure out what to do” phase. I wasn’t going to let that happen this time, the weather was too nice and spring-like to waste it sitting indoors procrastinating finding an activity. So I took to the net – and seriously this time – to try and find somewhere scenic that we could explore.
I stumbled upon a 21 Natural Wonders in Ontario post and decided to check it out. Unfortunately, due to our very Southern location in Ontario, many of these places were a hefty drive away, but one place – Kariya Park – caught my eye as it was in Mississauga, which is only about an hour away from us.
After a little bit of research I decided that it would be silly not to go and check this place out. This park was opened in 1992 to celebrate the 11th year anniversary of the twin-city partnership between Mississauga and Kariya, Japan. Now, Japan in cherry blossom season is up very high on my bucket list, and seeing as that trip is a liiittle bit out of my travel budget right now, I thought that this place would be a perfect mini taster of the real thing.
It’s almost hard to believe that this quaint, serene park is located in the middle of the 3rd most populated city in Ontario.
The park is surrounded by fencing, which I think makes the park that much more serene – upon entering you are greeted by a plaque commemorating the friendship between Mississauga and Kariya. From afar, the photo collage above the plaque forms an image of the Mando Matsuri which is a festival Kariya. However, when you get closer to it, you will notice that is is made up of lots of smaller images – a photo collage of the citizens of Mississauga and Kariya.
There is a beautiful walk way enclosed by cherry blossoms either side, two ponds, one of which is filled with carp and small turtles – which, if you’re lucky enough, will be sunning themselves on the rocks.
The pavilion (which I somehow managed to miss getting a picture of) which you will see to your right upon entering has been created with the Japanese style in mind – the two peaks represent the two cities, with a friendship bell in the middle.
If you’re in the area, I would highly recommend visiting one afternoon with a picnic and book in hand so that you can take a moment to relax in a little slice of Japan in the middle of a bustling Canadian city. If you’re wanting to experience the Cherry Blossom, I would get there fast! Soon it will be all gone for another year, though I’m sure the park is just as beautiful when the trees are covered in lush, green leaves!
Until next time
xx