The Volunteer and Staff End of Season Party 2023: Thank you so much everyone!

On Friday, December 8, the Seattle Japanese Garden hosted its annual Volunteer and Staff End-of-Season Party. Although we did not count the exact number of attendees, we received around 80 responses to the invitation, which made us realize the tremendous support the Garden received from our wonderful volunteers in 2023!

VolunteersGuest UserDecember 13, 2023fall, Japanese culture, volunteers

Public Meeting Report: the Japanese Garden North Wall and Pavilion Project

On November 16, the Arboretum Foundation and Seattle Parks and Recreation co-hosted a public meeting at the Graham Visitors Center focused on the Japanese Garden North Wall and Pavilion Project. Representatives from Berger Partnership and Hoshide Wanzer Architects presented designs plans for this Master Plan project, which reconstructs the crumbling stone wall at the north end of the pond, modifies the pathways in this area to improve accessibility, and adds a new pavilion-like structure that was originally envisioned by the Garden’s designer, Juki Iida, back in 1959, but never realized. The designers answered questions from the meeting attendees and gathered feedback on the potential uses of the structure.

Fall, From Home, Japanese CultureGuest UserNovember 20, 2023fall, books, Japanese culture

The Essential Reading List for 2023

Called 読書の秋 (dokusho no aki) in Japanese, the colder days and longer nights of fall beckon us to read. Blog contributor Corinne Kennedy has compiled an eclectic list of thirteen titles, including eleven books for children and younger teens.

Fall, From Home, Japanese CultureCorinne KennedyNovember 8, 2023fall, books, Japanese culture

Way of Tea and the Art of Listening

Chado, Japanese Culture, Tea CeremonyYukari YamanoFebruary 3, 2023tea ceremony, Japanese culture, tea house

The Essential Reading List for 2022

Called 読書の秋 (dokusho no aki) in Japanese, the colder days and longer nights of fall beckon us to read. Blog contributor Corinne Kennedy has compiled an eclectic list of fourteen titles, including ten books for children and teens.

Fall, From Home, Japanese CultureCorinne KennedyNovember 17, 2022fall, books, Japanese culture

Camellia oleifera is a Cold-hardy Species with Fragrant White Flowers in Autumn

Camellia oleifera is a very cold-hardy species with fragrant white flowers in autumn. Its seeds are an important source of a high-temperature cooking oil used primarily in Asian countries.

Fall, In the Garden, Japanese Culture, Plants and BloomsCorinne KennedyOctober 27, 2022Camellia, Japanese culture, Winter, fall

The Showy, Bright Red Fruits of Aucuba japonica ‘Rozannie’ Remain on the Plant from Fall until the Following Spring

Planted in the Seattle Japanese Garden in 2021, Aucuba japonica ‘Rozannie’ is a compact female cultivar of this evergreen shrub native to Japan. Its bright red, berry-like fruits persist until the following spring.

The History of Japanese Children’s day

May 5th is Children’s Day in Japan. In 1948, it was designated as a national holiday by the Japanese government, and the name was changed from Boy’s Day to make it a day to respect all children's personalities, celebrate their happiness, and thank their mothers. Yes, thanking mothers is part of Japanese national-holiday law!