Japanese Architects Visiting Phoenix To Oversee Garden Construction

Jan 8, 2002

A group of landscape architects from Himeji, Japan have arrived in Phoenix to help give a downtown garden an authentic touch.

The architects will be in town for about a month overseeing construction of a 12-foot waterfall, a stream and rock paths at the Japanese Friendship Garden, currently under construction in central Phoenix. The garden, and the adjoining Japanese Tea House, were a product of the sister cities relationship between Phoenix and Himeji, Japan. Both facilities are located in Hance Park.

The same group of architects helped design the park and, in previous visits, handpicked all of the rock to be used in the garden's construction. Some of the architects have visited Arizona more than 20 times during the course of the project. They arrived Jan. 6 for their most recent visit.

The architects will be assisting workers with the placement of boulders and rocks in the waterfall, stream and lakebed. The proper placement and positioning of stone and rock in gardens is considered an art form in Japan.

The Japanese Friendship Garden should be completed sometime in late 2002. The Tea House will reopen when construction on the garden is finished.

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