Japanese Gardens in Lethbridge

Almost fifty years ago Prince and Princess Takamatsu opened the Japanese Gardens in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. The year was 1967 and Canada was celebrating its centenary.

In 1992 Prince and Princess Takamado visited to celebrate the garden’s twenty-fifth anniversary.

In 2017, when Canada celebrates its 150th birthday, the gardens will be fifty years old. An invitation for another member of the imperial family to visit has been issued.

So, like the Japanese royal family, we visit one of Lethbridge’s premier attractions, the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden.

The young man in the photo above is our guide for a tour of the gardens. Without him we likely would have wandered through the gardens, said “Lovely” and then moved on.

But because of him we really looked, and learned, and came away with an  understanding of design principles…what is placed where and why. My understanding of the history of Japanese Canadians increased by leaps and bounds.

After the guided tour we wandered on our own throughout the gardens and then stopped at the building above to witness (and take part in) a Japanese tea ceremony. 

A truly special day!

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Happy travels!