In recent years I have travelled widely in Japan, visiting such cities as Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Kanazawa, Okayama, Kurashiki, Hiroshima, and many smaller places up in the mountains. And, when I have visited such places I have always been on the lookout for Japanese gardens, which I love for their design, colour, flora, and peacefulness.
What is not widely known is that Australia has a formal Japanese Garden in the little town of Cowra in the NSW Central West. And I was able to show it Brian and Daphne on our trip to Canberra. They were impressed, like me, in its high quality - in many respects on a par with the beautiful gardens I have seen in Japan itself.
But before I show-case Cowra's contribution to the Genre, I m should explain why the gardens are located there. That's simple. Cowra had a PoW (Prisoner of War) camp during the second world war and housed Italians (presumably captured in North Africa) and Japanese. Moreover, the Japanese staged a famous, though unsuccessful break-out in 1944. Many of those who escaped were recaptured (Cowra is a long way from a major city) or committed ritual suicide. The gardens both commemorate these events, but also the spirit of reconciliation between us and them in recent decades.
Let's start with some views of the camp, of which little remains:
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
The gardens are located nearby and I'll let the pictures talk for themselves.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Lovely, aren't they? I could have spent hours walking the many paths taking in the views, looking at water features and traditional Japanese images - bridges, icons, plants, and even a little house with sliding partitions and tatami mats. The only really jarring feature was the Australian Eucalypt, not widely observed in Japan itself!
AS
What is not widely known is that Australia has a formal Japanese Garden in the little town of Cowra in the NSW Central West. And I was able to show it Brian and Daphne on our trip to Canberra. They were impressed, like me, in its high quality - in many respects on a par with the beautiful gardens I have seen in Japan itself.
But before I show-case Cowra's contribution to the Genre, I m should explain why the gardens are located there. That's simple. Cowra had a PoW (Prisoner of War) camp during the second world war and housed Italians (presumably captured in North Africa) and Japanese. Moreover, the Japanese staged a famous, though unsuccessful break-out in 1944. Many of those who escaped were recaptured (Cowra is a long way from a major city) or committed ritual suicide. The gardens both commemorate these events, but also the spirit of reconciliation between us and them in recent decades.
Let's start with some views of the camp, of which little remains:
The gardens are located nearby and I'll let the pictures talk for themselves.
Lovely, aren't they? I could have spent hours walking the many paths taking in the views, looking at water features and traditional Japanese images - bridges, icons, plants, and even a little house with sliding partitions and tatami mats. The only really jarring feature was the Australian Eucalypt, not widely observed in Japan itself!
AS
2 comments:
There is a wonderful Japanese garden in Compton Acres Gardens between Canford Cliffs, Lilliput and Parkstone in Poole, Dorset, U.K.
It has the obligatory lake, little red cabin, hump back wooden bridge, lovely Japanese flowers and many actual Japanese statues.
It is a garden of great tranquillity.
Richard Snow.
I remember visiting those gardens and appreciating your description of them. The Cowra gardens are, however, bigger in size and less confined by site.
Post a Comment