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THINGS
TO DO IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA |
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Japanese
Gardens Van Nuys California
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By Sofia
Mitchell |
Tucked between a water
reclamation plant and a golf course, the Japanese Gardens
in Van Nuys are a delightful reprieve from the hustle
and bustle of Los Angeles. The garden was funded by
the City of Los Angeles at the cost of three million
dollars was constructed over a three-year period and
officially dedicated in June 1984.
The garden was ranked in the top ten for public Japanese
Gardens in the United States. The garden was designed
by Dr. Koichi Kawana, who designed more than a dozen
major Japanese gardens in the United States. Dr. Kawana
taught Japanese architecture and landscape design classes
at UCLA, in addition to being a garden designer, artist,
writer, poet and collector.
The garden has several different areas, all meticulously
designed and maintained. There is a dry garden which
uses stones and gravel to simulate the ocean and ocean
waves, with large stones in the center of the gravel
depicting islands. Three large stones in the dry garden
represent Buddha and his two helpers.
There is a wet garden with waterfalls, lakes, greenery
and stone lanterns. Three kinds of bridges can be found
in the garden: fording bridges, transition bridges and
viewing bridges. Each serves a specific design purpose.
Other attractive features of the garden include gingko
trees, the oldest living species of tree, and beautiful
stone lanterns.
The Shoin Building, which projects over the lake and
is next to the tea house, is one of the key architectural
features in the garden. Traditionally, a Shoin was a
residential dwelling for upper class monks, samurai
and aristocrats during the 14th and 15th centuries.
The exterior of the building is true the typical shoin
style, but the inside is actually designed to hold meetings
and small gatherings.
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 Japanese
Gardens Van Nuys
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The garden is designed to balance the
positive and negative forces, Yin and Yang. The entire
garden is very inviting and will bring on a feeling of
calm and contemplation. The tranquility is a nice antidote
to the hustle and bustle of our daily lives.
There are several benches in the garden which are perfect
for sitting, meditating, or just relaxing and enjoying
the serene atmosphere.
The placement of the garden adjacent to the Donald C.
Tillman Reclamation Plant means that the garden is irrigated
with reclaimed water. The Reclamation plant also irrigates
the adjacent golf course and fills Lake Balboa.
Events are also held at the garden, so check the schedule
to see if you want to time your visit to coincide with
one of these activities. Sample events include an origami
festival and community fairs and festivals. The venue
can also be rented for weddings and other social events.
Due to the variety of plants in the garden, it is worth
visiting the garden in different seasons to see the foliage
blooming or changing color during different times of the
year. The low entry price makes it a very reasonably priced
family outing.
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Shoin Building and Lake |
Tea Room Japanese Gardens
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Visiting the Garden: The garden is available
for self-guided tours Monday through Thursday from 11:00
AM until 4:00 PM, and Sunday from 10:00 AM until 4:00
PM (the last gate entry each day is at 3:15 PM). The garden
is closed to the public on Friday and Saturday.
Please call on the day you wish to visit to make sure
the garden is open. Admission is currently $3 per person,
with a discount for seniors and children under 10.
Docent-led tours are available by advance reservation
only, on Monday and Thursday morning. The tours last a
little over an hour. The docents are knowledgeable and
friendly, and if the tour works with your schedule, this
is a great way to get a deeper understanding of the gardens
history, function and plants.
There is a gift shop on site which has a wide selection
of items from Japan including books, ceramics, dolls,
papers, tea, greeting cards and more.
Getting There: The garden is located at 6100 Woodley Avenue
in Van Nuys, which is just northwest of where the I-405
and SR 101 intersection. From 405, take the Burbank Blvd
exit to the west and then turn north on Woodley Avenue.
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