City: Delray Beach, FL

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (561) 495-0233

Address: 4000 Morikami Park Rd.

Description: In 1905, a Japanese emigrant named Joseph Sakai bought some land in the southern part of the county, on which he planned to build an agricultural enterprise. Sakai advertised in Japan for workers to come over and work in the fields, but life was hard and many eventually returned to Japan. But a few stayed. A young man named George Morikami built a successful life here for himself and his family. In the mid-1970s, Morikami donated his home and part of his land to Palm Beach County, with the request that the county create a museum and park about Japanese culture.The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens is a place of quiet serenity, with 200 acres of red wooden footbridges crossing ponds stocked with koi, beautifully manicured bonsai plants, rock gardens, winding paths through the woods, and small waterfalls. The original building is a replica of a Japanese villa, with blue-roofed rooms surrounding a central courtyard, and sliding screens instead of wooden doors (visitors are requested to remove their shoes before entering). The museum building houses historical exhibitions, some 5,000 Japanese art objects and artifacts, a 225-seat theater, an authentic tea house, library, museum store with beautiful crafts from Japan, a cafe with excellent sushi and teriyaki, and a lakeside terrace and Japanese courtyard garden. The museum hosts several Japanese festivals throughout the year.