Friendship Gardens, Phoenix Arizona

On a trip with friends, we headed off to the Japanese Friendship Garden, at 1125 N. 3rd Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85003.  This is a very relaxing space that is juxtaposed against the city landscape around it and the I-10 below it (the I-10 being perhaps one of the least relaxing things in Phoenix.)  The garden is meant for contemplation, relaxation, and meditation of the natural world, and isn't designed to be a 'park' in the Western sense of the world.  That, however, does not stop them from charging you $5 admission to get into the place.  You can contemplate nature after you pay the gate fee.  Though part of me saw this as a capatilist move on a Japanese custom, another part knows that, up until this century, a Japanese garden was built for the noble or wealthy, and were not open to the public, at all.  So, in some regards, to have access to a joint effort of American and Japanese artists/architects is a rare treat to be enjoyed.
 

 After paying $5 dollars, they told me not to be too loud, not to take up space on the paths, not to bring any food or drink in with me, and that they have cameras and that they would be watching.  All this made me feel very unwelcome, like I was the person they started charging money to try keep out.  But, again, the Eastern ideas of a trip to the park aren't like the rather loud and raucous American good time, so my group and I tried to hold to the garden's rules.

Once inside, though, I was welcomed by the warm greens and bubbling waterways of a Japanese styled garden, with a path that wound around the site.  Many Japanese stone lanterns were noted ornamenting the garden.  The lanterns placement have much to do with how they are perceived.  Located on a hill, they are associated with Air, as they reach up to the sky.  Located with one leg in the water (or over water as seen) suggests a balance of Earth and Water.  The elements are huge part of how the garden is designed, so that every few feet further down the path you go, the view changes a little, and you perceive a different combination of the elements working together.

There were other statues, though my camera card corrupted and I haven't been able to get all my photos off of it.  They did have explanations of some of the larger statuary on plaques.  I wish I had read this website on symbolism and aesthetics of a Japanese garden before going here, as I would have liked to have been on the lookout for such elements.

White Hibiscus (Hibiscus arnottianus?) flowering

 The flowers were gorgeous in their blooming, and the air was fragrant.  The plants were various and positioned with care, some to frame a view and others to be a presence all of their own.  You could see them shaping trees, an age-old custom similar to working with bonsai, and a job for the patient.

The Aleppo Pine (Pinus Halepenisis) native of the Mediterranean area

Turtles were sunning themselves on available rocks, and fish, pigeons, doves, sparrows, hummingbirds, ducks, and other animals were going about their business.  Or, checking out the people to see if they had any koi food, which it seems almost everything was willing to chow down.


I admit, I'm not likely to pay $5 just to walk somewhere, but this space was well done while being compact enough you didn't get tired.  The only thing you need to watch out for in the garden is the viscous competition for koi food - the fish jump on each other to get it, the ducks walk on the fish to get it, and the pigeons aren't always patient enough to wait for you to toss it.

Feeding Frenzy in the Koi Pond