There is a well in the center, a tent pitched to shelter it from the strong tropical sun, a row of well-trimmed pots with lush foliage, a hanging birdcage with a white-tailed grosbeak in it, and the sansuberia and amaryllis, symbols of early summer, which are often encountered in Okinawa, the succulent plants. This is a very important garden that the old man had painstakingly created, but in the hands of the children, it is a place of destructive play and tidying up. While the old man is away, the grandchildren quickly transform the garden into their own free space. The children are so absorbed in their play that they are indifferent to the popular programs on the indoor TV. They can use the water from the well as much as they like. They never get tired of flying enchanting soap bubbles in the air. The old man's paradise is at the same time a very attractive playground for children. The gardens of Okinawa sometimes take on a strange aspect. The garden in Okinawa sometimes takes on a mysterious aspect, with the gardeners taking things that were purchased at a chain DIY store and using them in ways that are very different from their normal usage. The result is an indescribable and mysterious space. A mere collection of various objects jumps out at the viewer as an artistic space, almost like an installation. And it is always a garden made by an old man. Far from elegant and well-designed Japanese gardens, the result is a mishmash of low-priced components, and when strolling through the garden, one comes across a unique and exceptional garden that makes one shiver. Old Okinawans seem to be connoisseurs, and in every season, they have some kind of flower in their gardens. Cherry blossoms in spring, the aforementioned lovely amaryllis, agapanthus, and roses in early summer, and the giant red spider lilies and camellias on the trees with their fireworks-like red blossoms in winter. Although the houses they live in are deserted with tin roofs and red tiles, their gardens change their expressions with the seasons, never boring the viewers from the street or the people who live there. Okinawan old men are magicians of sorts. Even without learning how to make a formal garden, he is able to create a unique space by hand. How can children be indifferent to such a garden? This handmade old man's garden is a dream space with many exciting devices here and there that allow children and old people to connect with each other in a different dimension. It is a paradise that can excite the hearts of the old and the children at the same time, although they enjoy it in different ways. Recently, in Okinawa, there is an increase in the number of similar new houses that are square, pure white, and tasteless, and you cannot even see the garden from the outside. Or the gardens themselves are disappearing. It is very sad. I will be happy if I can go to some unknown town and come across a garden where old people are making magic. There, I will let the children in my heart open their hearts to the fullest.
