Japanese Garden at Washington Park Arboretum: a world apart
Published: Jun 23, 2009
The Japanese Garden at Washington Park Arboretum is not a place to play frisbee. It's not a place to run the feisty edge off your Rottweiler, or a place to bring a burger and shake on your lunch hour.
Visitors to the garden don't walk around gabbing on their phones, and if they speak to each other, it's in quiet and measured tones. And there is perhaps no stronger tribute to the Japanese Garden than that such notions never even cross your mind while you're idling on its benches, gazing dreamily into the middle distance.
Designed by landscaper Juki Iida to evoke the formal Japnese gardens of the early 17th century, the Japanese Garden is nearly four acres of lush, ever-tranquil greenery.
The forks in its crushed gravel paths are marked with stone lanterns. Moss-covered granite boulders lend character to the hills and clearings. Stone bridges arch low over still waters filled with koi — the most active element of the garden.
The bright oranges, reds and yellows of the fish stand in contrast to the foliage — bamboo, rhododendrons, gingko, maple trees and cherry blossoms that add up to a palette of soft pinks, whites and greens.
A guided tour of the garden is available free with paid admission, and there are cultural events here throughout the spring and summer — everything from taiko drummers to traditional Japanese teas. That said, you don't need a reason to travel the 2.5 miles from downtown Seattle to this otherworldly spot. All you need is a mind willing to be tamed, and a phone that turns off.
- by Geoff Carter, Seattle Reporter for HelloMetro
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