Japanese Friendship Gardens
The Japanese writing, サンディエゴビューティフルを, means, "San Diego the Beautiful"
That alone is the sentiment as expressed in the plaque above presented to the citizens of Yokohama, Japan commenorating the affiliation of the Sister cities of Yokohama and San Diego.
Through the month of January 2015, I have been posting daily my San Diego Photo Journal featuring some of the many treasures here in San Diego for residents and visitors alike. I would like to introduce to you yet another of those treasures found in Balboa Park. The Japanese Friendship Garden.
A number of years ago, I was attending a meeting with the mayor of San Diego and I heard all about the plans to create the first phase of this wonderful garden and it's planned opening for August 1990 in Balboa Park.
Back in 1915 when Balboa Park was first opened for the Panama- California Exposition , it had a Japanese Tea House that sat just East aside our Arboretum in the wooden slat Botanical Building with it's Lilly and Koi pond in the front. This year commemorating the Centennial 1915-2015, the completion of the new expanded gardens is dedicated.
The Tea House would remain in place for over 30 years until is was dismantled in the 1940's. In the 1950's San Diego Sister City started it's program which represented the kindred feelings of shared ideals as was the original idea behind the Japanese Garden. Today, the Japanese Friendship Garden has incorporated the architectural "Tea House" styling to it's Exhibit house. The sukiya style was used often found in the unattached tea Houses in Japanese retreats for it's Samurai class.
The Japanese Friendship Garden is a testament of not only our friendship with our Sister City Yokohama but to the educational programs that lead to better understanding of the Japanese culture and Japanese horticultural principles. So I think this Garden easily qualifies as one of San Diego's Treasures.
The design for the San Diego Japanese Friendship Garden was carefully guided by the principles the Japanese garden while also incorporating elements of our regional landscaping as would be found anywhere in San Diego. But make no mistake, when you visit this garden it's quiet elegant simplicity and serene beauty will impress you and you will feel as though you are in Japan.
The garden is made up of several elements, all of which would be found in a similar gardens in Japan. The basic elements of trees ,shrubs, rocks and water but utilized in perfect natural balance creating an environment that is conducive to meditation or simply getting your mind to quiet down and be at peaceful harmony.
The Friendship Garden Committee holds a bi-annual International Japanese Garden Symposium and the next one is being held in October of this year. The symposium provides a forum sponsoring information and issues that affect the Japanese gardens world wide from design aspects, maintenance, creating the aesthetics, and dealing with the horticultural and social aspects of the gardens. This year we are showing off the greatly expanded gardens for the Centennial Celebration.
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