Description

California travel expert Veronica Hill highlights the amenities of Inn at Laguna Beach in this episode of California Travel Tips.

Transcript

Among the most beautiful landscaping styles in the world, the Japanese Garden is a place of reflection, beauty and connection from nature. Japanese Garden dates back before the 8th century when they were used by ancient rulers for prayer and contemplation. A garden in Japanese called Niwa represents a pure and spiritual place. The Japanese gardens in Portland are one of the best examples of eastern landscaping in North America and well worth to visit. Walk the serene bridges past streams and water falls then follow the quiet paths lined with flowers and trees always changing with the seasons. The Japanese Rock Garden with its great white sand and towering stones suggest ocean waves crushing near Sacred Islands. This type of Japanese sand garden is often found in some monasteries. Japanese Garden tea houses and pavilions are designed for complete use of the natural surroundings with sliding doors and large transparent windows. These offer great views of Japanese garden plants such as wisteria, iris and vibrant, red maples. Stone and bronze lanterns light the pathways which are often marked by water basins with bamboo drippers used for ritual cleansing of the hands and mouth. The Japanese Water Garden marked by a meandering wooden plank bridge is often lined with iris and may even include a water fall ever changing yet always there. Nearby, the Japanese Garden Bridge is a great lookout spot. In Japanese garden design the bridges are usually arts. They are made from stone or wood in keeping with the natural elements of the garden. To create a Japanese garden and learn more about Japanese garden designs, it helps to visit them in person. For a listing of Japanese gardens, go to CaliforniaTravelExpert.com.