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

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

Kaleidoscope Series: "World of Butoh" with Kogut Butoh

The first in our Kaleidscope series of virtual events, we are excited to present “World of Butoh with Kogut Butoh”! Learn about this modern Japanese performance art from Joan Laage, an incredible performer and SJG volunteer. This was originally presented as a webinar with a live Q&A.

From Home, Events, Japanese Culture, Visual ArtGuest UserOctober 6, 2020Kaleidoscope, butoh

Tanabata & Other Starry Folktales

We hope you all enjoyed July’s Virtual Tanabata Celebration! We shared four stories from the book “Star Stories: Multicultural Myths of the Constellations” by Jennifer L. Kroll, read by Yukari Yamano. These four stories are available below, and on our YouTube channel!.

Events, From Home, Japanese Culture, For KidsGuest UserAugust 4, 2020

Pine Pruning with Pete: A Virtual Workshop

Watch and listen as Peter Putnicki, the Senior Gardener for the Seattle Japanese Garden, shares his knowledge about pine pruning.

From Home, Plants and Blooms, SummerGuest UserMay 29, 2020Pine Candling, japanese pine, pruning

“Kanreki” 還暦 –A Red Letter 60th Anniversary for the Garden

June 5, 2020 marks the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Seattle Japanese Garden.

In Japan, the 60th year of life is called “kanreki” (還暦) and is celebrated as a rebirth or re-entry into childhood. Sixty years is the full cycle of the Chinese zodiac calendar, which was adopted for use in Japan starting in the year 604.

Staying Grounded: A Stroll Through the Seattle Japanese Garden

Our senior gardener, Pete Putnicki, created the garden video in order to help us keep staying grounded and to showcase us how the garden has been doing. Enjoy the Seattle Japanese Garden from your home!

From Home, In the GardenYukari YamanoMay 16, 2020Japanese Garden, Wisteria, garden tour