Like the eye of a tornado, this 6.5 acre Japanese Garden is an oasis of calm in the midst of the bustling San Fernando Valley. Doctor Koichi Kawana designed this strikingly authentic recreation of a traditional Japanese Garden hoping to imbue the Californian landscape with some Japans famous “Zen”. It also incorporates water provided by the next door water reclamation plant, to promote the ability of reclaimed water to be employed in the charms of a lovely garden.

First up is the dry Zen meditation garden where a Plover Path sheltered by an arbor festooned with wisteria leads you past Tortoise Island, not an island at all but a grassy mound supposed to symbolize longevity. and a three Buddha arrangement of stones. Next is the “Chisen-Kaiyushiki” garden, a “wet garden with promenade” where a variety of shrubs, bonsais and flowering bushes are punctuated by flowing waterfalls, lakes and streams. Stone lanterns hand-carved in Japan by talented artisans and small wooden bridges add to the distinctly Japanese style. The design is such that as you make progress through the garden, your views and perspective shift, allowing a refreshing change of scenery throughout. Follow the path to the Shoin building, a wooden tea house with paper shutters and real tatami mats that overlooks the lake. With an array of beautiful blooms like azaleas, cherry trees, magnolias, wisteria, iris and lotus, the garden is somehow serene and undisturbed, yet there is something new and vibrant to be seen throughout the year.

Strikingly different from yet somehow blending seamlessly with the rest of the Californian landscape, this garden is a respite for the soul where you can go to meditate, think things over, share a meaningful situation, or simply escape the hubbub of the city.