A Tour of the Japanese Tea Garden

On Wednesday afternoon, my family and I visited the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park in San Fransisco.



We joined a free tour. The tour guide, Eric, explained the history of the Japanese Tea Garden, originally built as part of the World’s Fair in 1894.



He explained that the Monterey Cypress has many different shapes and sizes. Through tree candling, the lights can pass through the tree, making it more beautiful.  


In Japanese culture, turtles and cranes represent longevity. There are many drawings of turtles and cranes on the door beam and pagoda. I even touched a turtle sculpture inside the basin.  

 


Eric also talked about the Buddha sculpture donated by an antique shop in San Fransisco.

On the Buddha’s head, there are many short and tight ringlets. All the monks are bald heads. Why Buddha has ringlets? The ringlets represent 108 snails protecting Buddha’s head from sunburn when he meditates.



Another exciting thing is the five-floor pagoda. It’s so eye-catching. But it’s made of wood, and it needs to repair periodically. It’s reopened recently to the public after two and half years of repair.



My favorite scenes were the koi, dry garden, pond, and waterfalls because they gave me peace of mind.





After the tour, Eric asked for donations. We gave him some money for support. 



Then, we went to the tea garden cafe to buy snacks and drinks. I ate mochi with red bean filling and drank hot roasted Genmaicha and barley-flavored iced tea. 



It was very relaxing walking around the garden, and I also learned a lot from the tour guide. 

Comments

  1. RuthNovember 30, 2022 at 2:52 PM

    You caught the spirit of the Japanese Tea Garden: serenity and pleasure. Keep writing, I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. HelenDecember 8, 2022 at 12:08 AM

    I also learned something new from reading your blog today. I never thought about whether the Buddha was bald or not. But now that I think about it, it is true that most monks shave their heads. It is an interesting story that the snails protected the Buddha so that he wouldn't get sunburned.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dog Day

Image
Last Thursday, I attended the Fresno State Dog Day orientation which was quite an exciting experience. At the Wayfinders booth, I checked in and received my name tag along with a red bag containing a free T-shirt and a student handbook.  After that, I went through a quick interview session with one of the staff and met my new classmates. We did some icebreakers and introduced ourselves to each other.  Next, we were taught how to use Canvas, an online course management system and I completed the Introduce Yourself assignment. Later, we played some games outside and exchanged phone numbers with my new roommate. Overall, my college experience at Fresno was pleasant and I had a great time at the Dog Day orientation.
Read more

Volunteering at the Shinzen Japanese Garden

Image
 I enjoy the volunteer activities provided by the Wayfinders. My favorite is the Shinzen Japanese Garden.  I have been there with my family before.  It's beautiful and peaceful. The pond, bridge, maple trees, and Japanese lamppost give me a Zen feel. I like nature so much that   I  enjoy volunteering in this garden.   On Saturday, I volunteered at the Japanese garden again. I helped them rake up the leaves and pull the weeds. The garden looks very clean and organized. For lunch, I had veggie and cheese pizza and drank water with it. I enjoyed   my lunch with my friends.  While cleaning the garden, I saw a peacock walking on the wooden fence and t he koi fish swimming happily in the pond. What a rewarding day!
Read more

My Friend Visits

Image
My friend Selina visited me at the Palazzo on  Friday during her information session.    I was so happy to see her and even took a photo with her. What great memories I  had with my friend Selina. I enjoyed hanging out with my friend Selina at the Palazzo.        
Read more