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The Japanese Garden at Hermann Park

Raquel

By Raquel

8 comments


I had always been intrigued by the Japanese Garden at Hermann Park, but for one reason or another (usually it’s because by the time I got to the park it was closed! It closes at 6 pm in summer and at 6 pm it is usually still too hot for me to venture out too much) I never got around to actually going! This changed last week, when I got out of the museum at 5:30pm, and found the Japanese garden still open. This is the entrance to the garden:

This is an explanation in English of how and why the garden was created:

So interesting that it was in 1990 and during a G-8 Economic Summit that the Prime Minister of Japan donated the garden. Apparently he also did the Japanese calligraphy on the first rock. I loved the entrance, this is what you see as you enter:

As I walked in I felt a sense of peace, and I wondered at that. I like the Japanese aesthetic of what I think of as calmness, this fusion of nature and water and soothing colors:

I especially loved the bridges:

The garden is a LOT bigger than I thought, and 30 minutes wasn’t enough to see all of it! I definitely have to go back with more time. This was one of the most beautiful parts, though this picture hardly does it justice:

Here are two other shots:

I wondered about the pink trees, they reminded me of the pink and white cherry blossoms that bloom every year in Washington, D.C., but I thought it unlikely that they would be blooming now, in the heat and humidity of Houston. But the shade was such a delicate pink it mimicked brilliantly the delicate nature of the cherry blossoms. I finally decided it was an exceedingly clever use of crape myrtles! If you look closely below you might be able to see two turtles sunning themselves:

At first I thought these two birds were scultpures, they were so still! But no, they were real, lol:

This is also where I saw the bunny, in fact I saw three! but got only close enough to capture this one in a photo:

I fell in love with the Japanese garden, and I definitely plan to be back! I could see myself resting there, enjoying nature, or even reading or grading in peace. And peaceful places are in very short supply nowadays!

More blog posts by Raquel

Previous post: Walking down to Hermann Park from Rice Village (Birthday Walk).

Next post: Pets and Critters at the Park



Comments

 

A lovely garden there, Raquel. It looks very peaceful and serene; also very cool looking ~ was it?

27 Jun, 2010

 

What a little bit of heaven there, simply lovely. Thank you.

27 Jun, 2010

 

Japanese gardens are so peaceful, aren't they? You are correct, this is in short supply these days. Many Thanks for sharing this stunning garden.

27 Jun, 2010

 

Nice blog Raquel ... I love the sense of calm in a Japanese garden ... there's one at a National Trust property near us & it's very similar in it's simple beauty.

27 Jun, 2010

 

It's a beautiful place. It's nice to find somewhere peaceful in the middle of a city. I hope you can go back there some day.

27 Jun, 2010

 

Thank you all for your comments. I do plan on going back, Hywel, maybe when it's a bit cooler in the fall..it's not very far, and on the metro you get there quick. The garden itself is lovely but braving 40 C weather to get there is not fun! Silverbelle, yes, it felt cool (well, cooler) under all that shade!

28 Jun, 2010

 

Thank you so much for posting this, Raquel, and it is just as beautiful as I had imagined! I hope you get a chance to return and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere again, lovely photos, a joy to see :~))

29 Jun, 2010

 

Thanks, Floribunda!

1 Jul, 2010

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