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Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden Self-Guided Tour
Take a walk around the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden! You can click the numbers on the map, or follow the highlights below. A new browser window will be launched with photos and more information about the garden.
1. Stone Lantern
This large Komatsu stone lantern marks the main entry to the Japanese Garden. The 10-foot, 3-ton, 350-year-old lantern was a gift given to New York in 1980 by Tokyo, its sister city.
2. Viewing Pavilion
Just inside the garden is the viewing pavilion, from which you have a splendid panoramic view of the pond and a series of high hills or constructed "mountains." The circular window (en-so) with bamboo latticework is an element found in some Japanese homes, usually fitted with a square paper screen onto which the shadows of nearby trees are cast.
The Viewing Pavillion was redesigned and rebuilt in 2001. The architectural drawings were done by Mr. Kinoshita, Kyoto, Japan.
3. Torii
The Japanese Garden covers an area of about 3 1/2 acres, including the 1 1/2-acre pond. The large wooden structure in the pond is a torii, which signifies the presence of a shrine, tucked away in the pine grove on the hill beyond. This cypress-wood torii is painted bright vermilion, a color associated with Buddhism; it is modeled after the camphor-wood torii that stands in the sea at Miyajima. The inscription on the torii reads Dai-myo-jin, which means "Great Illuminating Deity" or "Spirit of Light."
4. Japanese Irises and Tree Peonies
This self-guided tour follows the lower path, which skirts the pond and is wheelchair accessible. Along the edge of the pond, you will pass plantings of Japanese irises and tree peonies.
5. Waiting Bench
You will reach the waiting bench, a comfortable spot to rest and enjoy a different vantage of the garden and viewing pavilion. From here, you also have a good view of Turtle Island.
6., 7., 8. Turtle Island, Drum Bridge, Snow-viewing Lantern
It is traditional to incorporate a turtle-shaped rocky island in a pond to symbolize longevity. The bridge leading to the island is called the drum bridge (taiko-bashi) because its high, rounded shape and reflection in the water form a circle reminiscent of a taiko, or large Japanese barrel drum. On the island is the snow-viewing lantern (yukimi-doro) made of mikage granite. Its legs and its broad cap or roof, which is designed to catch snow, are characteristic of this style of lantern.
9. Stone Kasuga-shape Lantern
On the upper path you will see a tall, stone Kasuga-shape lantern, another classic lantern style. Imported from Japan in 1914, it is elaborately carved with the animals from the Chinese zodiac: rat, bull, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, lamb, monkey, rooster, dog, and wild boar.
10. Two Bronze Cranes
As you follow the path around the pond you will have many views of Turtle Island with its lantern, rocky beach, and irregularly arranged stepping-stones. The two bronze cranes at the water's edge are re-castings of those that were in the Japanese garden the day it opened.
11. Waterfall
In a Japanese garden, a waterfall symbolizes constant change, and the sound of moving water is an important design element. This waterfall includes a deep ravine, four cascades, and large echo caverns that magnify the sound of the falling water.
12., 13. Shinto Shrine, White Pines
The wooden shrine is dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of harvest, and two stone foxes on either side of the entrance gate represent messengers of the deity. The present structure was erected in 1960, replacing the original shrine. It is built of white cedar, ash, redwood, and cypress, and uses pins instead of nails. The shrine is situated in a tranquil grove of white pines (sho-rin). In Japanese gardens, pines symbolize longevity.
14., 15. Stone Bridge, Celebrity Path
Follow the path along the shore through the West Gate. Continue over the stone bridge. After crossing the bridge, you can proceed to Celebrity Path to the right, or you can take the left path, which traces the south shore of the pond.
16. Alfred T. White Memorial
Two sets of steps lead from the lower path up to the Alfred T. White Memorial, named in honor of the Japanese Garden's original benefactor. If you continue along the lower path, you will end up back at the main entrance to the garden.