The sound of drumbeats made me orient myself. Where did it come from? Visiting the Botanical Garden for the celebration of Aki Matsuri, the Japanese fall festival, the dynamic drum sound appealed to me. The duo Enishibo were playing on Japanese percussion instruments.

One drum and one bamboo flute, two instruments that sounded like a big ensemble. The naturally quiet garden was now filled with uplifting tunes appropriate for the celebration of the autumn season – ‘when the abundant harvests bring peace of mind and make people sing’.

The festive ambience also carried quiet corners. The Japanese chess game of Shôgi was something new to me. Two persons with chess instructions beside them were playing the game amid the greenery of the garden. That’s a refreshing day spent on a game of concentration.

No drums, no flute at the martial arts section and no silence either but a regular and fierce shout coming from the karate performers. In my teenage years I was only briefly a member of a Judo club. A dynamic way of developing concentration and keeping yourself in good form.

Leaving the Jardin Botanique, an amber-yellow flower caught my attention. It was the only one of many that was fresh. The others had already withered. I recognised it. The pretty Angel’s trumpet, family of the Nightshade plants, blossoming in plain daylight.

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