Thursday, April 24, 2008
Lawrence has an older sister.
Japanese friendship garden
“Is she hot?” you ask.
Well, if by hot, you mean she gives us cool things and expands our cultural understanding, then yes—she’s gorgeous.
She is the city of Hiratsuka, Japan. She and Lawrence have been sister cities since 1985. To honor the 10th anniversary of their companionship, the city of Hiratsuka gave Lawrence a gift of $5,000 to be spent on a friendship garden. The Japanese city also donated stone carvings and sent representatives to Lawrence to help build the garden, located at 1045 Massachusetts Street.
Now Lawrence has itself a beautiful 90-square-foot center of arbor and Zen right on the outskirts of downtown. “I like to go there, relax, meditate and watch old people walk by,” says Jonathan Blum, Lawrence junior. “It’s a good place to go with friends and pick up on the friendship vibes.”
The site has a vast array of Japan-inspired flora and other aesthetics. The red brick walls of each of the surrounding buildings and the yoshino cherry trees at the front of the garden help block out the rest of downtown. These barricades encompass you, shielding your peaceful oasis from the rest of the world.
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Comments
Nooks & crannies
I love the Zen garden! They can really do a lot with 5k, I wonder what plans they have for it.
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