Japanese Tea Garden

A friend sent me this article, from which I've posted an excerpt below.  If you click here, you will be directed to the original article. There are some very nice pictures which accompany it, so please follow the link and enjoy.

Japanese Tea Garden, San Mateo

Stephanie Wright Hession

Thursday, March 25, 2010

A honeybee alights on the delicate, pale pink blossoms of a cherry tree as koi wind through the waters of a pond edged with river rock, bonsai trees and stone lanterns in the Japanese Tea Garden. Designed by Nagao Sakurai, landscape architect of Tokyo's Imperial Palace, this garden creates an oasis of serenity in San Mateo's Central Park from the bustle of South El Camino Real.

1. Chashitsu

This tea house incorporates the Zen principle of simplicity with its wooden exterior and shingled roof, and it provides a shaded bench from which to see the pond. In Japan, chashitsu refers to a teahouse or a tearoom devoted to tea ceremonies. In the garden, a teahouse offers a place for contemplation.

2. Pond

Wander the path twisting past the kidney-shaped pond, cross the two arched wooden bridges traversing it and listen to the gentle cascade of a waterfall. Along the way, admire the coral leaves of a Japanese maple, the vivid pink blossoms of miniature and standard azaleas, the white camellias and other flora.