Cost: $3 entry fee plus gas
I've been meaning to visit this garden ever since it opened about a decade ago.
WHAT? They're celebrating a 30th anniversary??
So I finally made it here today. It's truly the "peaceful oasis" the brochure describes. It includes a dry Zen meditation garden, a large stroll garden and a tea garden complete with tea house.
There were few people here, but lots of birds and bamboo. The stately lotus flowers in the water garden are beginning to bloom. There is water everywhere: ponds, streams and waterfalls - logically, since the garden is next to a water reclamation plant. The plant's award winning modern architecture is meant to enhance the traditional landscape.
It was a very warm morning and the air was still - which meant the Suiho-en (Garden of Water and Fragrance) lived up to its name. Unfortunately, the fragrance came from the effluent and not the flowers. Even though I don't have the nasal acuity of a bloodhound - the subtle smell was pervasive. The Japanese Garden is a lovely spot - but I think I'll revisit when it's cooler and breezy.
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