A Sure Sign of Spring - Japanese Stroll Garden Now Open

Collage of Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden by Hiltrud "Sam" WebberA sure sign of spring, the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden is open throughout the season from 9 a.m. – 7:30 p.m., Thursdays – Mondays, from April 1 – October 31, 2011 (closed for maintenance Tuesday and Wednesday). General admission to the Garden is $3.00; 12 and younger are free. Note, if you are a member of Friends of the Garden admission is free for the season for two people (excludes the Japanese Fall Festival).

The Mizumoto Japanese Garden in Nathanael Greene Park is demonstrative of the “stroll” variety. It takes advantage of techniques typical of tea gardens, using stepping stones, lanterns, and a tea hut to act as architectural features to enhance the landscape. Movement through the garden is around ponds and islands, employing the “hide and reveal” concept in which the individual scenes in the garden are experienced separately.

A Japanese Garden must always have one thing — rocks. A garden may be created without water, mounds, grass, or even plants, but it must always have rocks. In Japan, rocks are objects that demand attention. They are viewed with much consideration and reverence. This can be attributed to the history, mythology, and topography of the country. Nearly two-thirds of Japan is covered by mountains.

A true Japanese Garden always maintains as its basis the essence of nature. Although the basic structure of the garden is constant, change is always evident through the passing of seasons, weathering and aging. The design should require the viewer to go beyond the physical surface to complete the picture in his or her mind.

The Garden design demonstrates the Zen influence in Japanese culture. The best way to describe Zen is that it is a sense of realization, of feeling. A garden is seen as a direct expression of ones’ attitude toward his environment, and we invite you to experience the peaceful setting of Springfield's own Mizumoto Japanese Garden.

When visitng the Japanese Stroll Garden don't forget to visit the Botanical Center, the other 24 gardens located in Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park and the Bill Roston Native Butterfly House (opens to the public mid May).

Script for Guide by Cell phone project for MIZUMOTO JAPANESE STROLL GARDEN

Written by Katie Steinhoff and recorded by Peter Longley on Prompt 78#