Japanese Gardens in Hermann Park (Houston, Portland: landscaping, design, best)

[jfre81]

Post more photos next time. The longer load times weed out the kiddies with low attention spans, if ya dig...

[karuna95]

Reminds me of a person who's only ever had Tex-Mex visiting Mexico for the first time and criticizing the food because it's not like the "real" Mexican food he's familiar with...

Here is a nice write-up (http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/JapaneseGarden.html - broken link) about the garden:

Nestled in a pine grove near the Sam Houston Monument in Hermann Park you’ll find an island of serenity known as the Japanese Garden. Designed by world-renowned Japanese landscape architect Ken Nakajima, the garden was built to symbolize the friendship between Japan and the United States, and to recognize Houston’s thriving Japanese community.

Mr. Nakajima based his design in Zen philosophy stating “We must work with nature, to create a new space and sense of beauty. This is the essence of the Japanese garden.”

http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/images/japanesegarden/JapaneseGarden_Ext.jpg (broken link)The Japanese Garden in Hermann Park is built in the Daimyo Style, a traditional design that dates back to the 17th, 18th, and 19th century stroll gardens. Like most stroll gardens, this five-acre oasis is designed around a sequence of landscape elements, which combine together to create a work of living art. It exemplifies the philosophical and artistic attitude of the designer and combines elegant simplicity with traditional design to fit in harmony with the park's topography and Texas roots.

When you step thru Nagayamon (Japanese for gate) you begin your tranquil journey into the Land of the Rising Sun. In Japan this type of gate, with rooms on both sides, might be found at the entrance of mansions for high-ranking samurai. In Houston it provides an entrance into another world. Flanked by pine and oak trees the gate is a good example of creating new value with existing materials.

At the entrance to the garden a Yukimi style stone lantern greets you symbolically lighting the way into and through the garden. The stone lantern is a gift from Houston’s sister city Chiba City, Japan. Winding stone paths meander past crepe myrtles, azaleas, Japanese maples, dogwoods, peach and cherry trees as well as other flowering foliage. A small arbor is visible in the distance beyond the bridge and through a grove of pine trees. The Japanese iris outlining the arbor beckon you on as you wind your way towards the center of the garden and the Azumaya or teahouse.
http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/images/japanesegarden/JapaneseGarden_Int.jpg (broken link)While small in size the teahouse floor plan is a tradition design used for Japanese tea ceremonies. The Commemorative Association donated the teahouse for the World Exposition through the initiative of former Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu on his visit to Houston during the 1990 Economic Summit. The teahouse was originally built and constructed in Japan utilizing traditional Japanese materials. Japanese laborers in Houston then reassembled the teahouse in the garden. The teahouses pillars are made of “Hinoki,” a cypress tree indigenous to Japan and famous for its fine grain. The round crossbeams below the ceiling are called “Kitayama-sugi,” which is a special cedar tree from Kyoto. This carefully polished timber is a highly prized and expensive commodity in Japan. The assembly method for supporting the roof is as unique to Japan as the woods it is constructed from.

Opening the sliding screen door of the teahouse reveals a cascade built of Texas pink granite from a quarry in Marble Falls. While Japanese rock formations traditionally feature naturally shaped stones the quarry cut stones proved to be a challenging but rewarding experience for the designer. In the end Mr. Nakajima was pleased to note, “The overwhelming force of the massive rocks seemed symbolic of Texas.”
The waterfall created by the granite cascade splashes into a small pond that connects with the street that winds along the garden's stone pathway.

Construction on the Japanese Garden was begun on March 26, 1991. A year and two months later it was dedicated on May 4, 1992.
The Japanese Garden is open daily for your enjoyment and there is no admission charged.

Japanese Garden Hours:
10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (Spring/Summer)
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Fall/Winter)
The Japanese Garden is not available for rentals.
For more information call (713) 284-8300 or (713) 284-1300.

[pach84]

Originally Posted by Sampaguita

Great shots, Kenpar! Thanks for posting...you've given me a great idea of where to take my parents during their 3-week visit starting next week.

I didn't even know there was a Japanese Garden in Houston. I'll have to ask my friend who is exec dir of the Japanese Garden in Portland if he's ever worked with the one here.

Yes, Kenpar, nice pictures. Seems like it was pleasant day for a walk around Hermann Park.

Sampaguita, have you visited the Garden in Portland? I remember nice trails with many tourists. It made for nice Sunday- Lunch, walk around the garden and ice cream.

[Sampaguita]

Pach84 - I haven't yet...but hope to while my friend is still there. I just wrote him about the Houston Japanese Gardens to see what he knows about it. I know the one in Portland is considered the premiere Japanese garden outside of Japan. I can probably coax him to come visit us in Houston now.

[SteveArmy]

I dont think you would disagree this Ken guy did not do a good job or probably left the area already. whoever he is, whoevers idea it was to take shortcuts and throw in some texmex crap messed it all up. since Hermann Park has a halfassed versions of the landmarks in DC, they should have atleast tried to acquire a few cherryblossom-look-alike trees too, not crapemyrtles come on.
Japanese garden are supposed to showoff skills, their ability to turn anything as a feature. Theres hardly any feature in Hermann Park Japanese garden. Whoever this Ken Nakajima guy, I think he failed. You should check out works not done by that guy. Here's one in Portland, check out the 5 gardens. be sure to check out the gardener team, theyre mostly white people, with skillz
Portland Japanese Garden - The Five Gardens

[CDeb]

Isn't it so "Houston" to say:

The "such and such" we have here completely sucks because so and so city has one that's sooooo much better.

[SteveArmy]

Originally Posted by CDeb

Isn't it so "Houston" to say:

The "such and such" we have here completely sucks because so and so city has one that's sooooo much better.

no. the way YOU say it, the denial is so 'Houston'. Having the texmexjapanese garden is a good start. but if they really want something to be visited and to be proud of, the texmex stuff has to go. that japanese garden look more like cancun really(thats not bad at all). I'm only showing pics of other japanese themed lanscaping, not to show who's got better, but want to show you how these things look like if planned right, designs followed right, have the right contractor who has access to the right stuff, and have a society/group that cared for it. I'm saying Houstonians should get out of their bubble more often.

I was at the garden too last sunday and there was a lot of the typical texas lawnboys equipment/trailer/building materials piled up in plain sight, in the middle of the garden, on the same weekend as the japanese festival. that says a lot about what we have in houston.

cosmopolitan Houston? yeah right.

[Sampaguita]

FYI:

The Japanese Gardens in Portland is a completely different calibre of garden than the Japanese Garden in Houston. That's pretty obvious just by comparing websites!

As I mentioned above, the Portland Japanese Garden is recognized as the best Japanese garden of its class outside of Japan and therefore has a completely different structure for funding, artistry, maintenance, etc...There's no comparison & to make one is ludicrous. They have an executive director who spends a good deal of his time fund-raising for the Japanese Gardens in Portland.

Its knowledgeable detractor who apparently knows more about Japanese gardening than Mr. Nakajima might actually do some good by contacting the staff at Hermann Park and sharing his opinions and expertise. Failing that, how about shelling out the big bucks that would be necessary to create something comparable to the Portland gardens? As well as providing an atmospheric bubble (because we all know how similar Houston weather is to Portland's).

Until then, the gardens in Houston should be taken at its own merit.

[SteveArmy]

pics of what they have in Fort Worth TEXAS
Japanese Gardens, Fort Worth, TX pictures from texas photos on webshots

pics of what they have in MEXICO
Japanese palace in Sumiya, Cuernavaca, Mexico pictures from gardens photos on webshots

youre just making excuses (while saying portland is the best)

[vwgto]

I have enjoyed a stroll through the gardens several times, and did not worry myself with how it could be better. Carpe Diem.