Micke park

Micke is our "nearby" park. It's not that very near: just south of Lodi, at 99. But still, it's a tad closer than Sunol or Mt. Diablo. Also, it has a zoo, a local museum, and a Japanese garden.

The garden has two small pagodas (one concrete and one iron), a pond, and a house. The house was closed today, so I peeked inside to see the faux linoleum tatami and a closet with a hinged door. Strangely, it should feel fake, but it doesn't. Instead, it gives the air of care by the older generation. The structure looks rather sad, like a ghost of times past.

Two bridges cross the crescent-shaped pond. One of them was donated by a whole bunch of Yamadas, who must be relatives. Two koi live in the pond: old (white with age) and young (mostly dark).

They aslo have a functioning waterfall in the garden. A similar, although smaller, waterfall is constructed in the forum area behind the Shima building on the Delta college campus, but it's never on, and is covered in leaves.

Finally, there's a very nice bamboo grove there too.

The place is quite different from the Japanese Tea Garden in the Golden Gate park. The place in Frisco seems like an amusement park. This one seems like a memorial.