Fountains
Hirosaki Botanical Gardens are known for having some of the finest fountains in all of Japan. Our Izumi Waters fountain is particularly spectacular, shooting jets of water high into the sky. Our traditional sōzu fountains in zone one create a tranquil clacking noise as they fill with water and empty, banging their bamboo tubes against strategically placed rocks. It is not in any way irritating. Japanese gardens are filled with symbolism, and that is very much the point when it comes to water. Water, a very important part of Japanese gardens, is said to symbolise the passing of time and life itself. The bridges in our garden that cross the river are called ‘Hashi’ in Japanese, which is also the word for ‘edge’, so a bridge can be seen as symbolic of moving from one world into another.
Bees
At Hirosaki Botanical Gardens we are proud to take care of our abundance of bees. The site of the gardens has been home to a colony of bees since long before the formal gardens were built. In fact the construction of the greenhouse had to be halted to ensure the safety of the bees, as their hives were carefully relocated. Happily no bees were harmed in the move (although three workers were hospitalised as a result of bee stings). We take care to plant flowers that the bees really like and in return the bees provide us with honey, which is available to purchase at all of our entry gates. It tastes particularly good on toast. NB: To clear up recent confusion, the gardens do not – and have never had – an abundance of beads.
