For more than 50 years, San Mateo’s Japanese Garden has served as a symbol of good will and cultural appreciation.
Koji Morimoto grew up in a peaceful village living “a classic Japanese lifestyle.” Only after immigrating to the United States in 1992, landing in California, then moving to upstate New York, did he fully appreciate what he had and became serious about Japanese gardening. 
In few countries have the peace and serenity of nature been cultivated into stylized gardens, as Japan. The very term “Japanese garden” conjures up a sense of zen, where the placement of rocks is as important as the selection of flowers. The country has even designated three major gardens as national treasures. 
Hundreds of extra varieties of plants are now on display at a recently revamped greenhouse at the Jindai Botanical Gardens in Chofu, western Tokyo. 
The right tree can change the landscape. Just look at what's happened outside the Portland Japanese Garden's Pavilion. With Mount Hood and the city skyline as a backdrop, five bonsai are displayed on specially designed origami-like pedestals. 
A historic Japanese garden destroyed by vandals 50 years ago will reopen later this year after being restored.
The government began a 12-day public opening of the Kyoto State Guest House on Thursday as a trial run before year-round access begins in July. 
Dignitaries and celebrities joined Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko for the annual spring party at the Akasaka Imperial Gardens in Tokyo on Wednesday. 
Cherry blossoms that form a "tunnel" of flowers in the Yonomori district of Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, were at their peak for viewing on April 6. Tomioka remains evacuated due to the Fukushima nuclear disaster, but this day marked the beginning of a limited period during which the government allows residents to visit. 
About 12 decades before I ever set foot in Matsue, a writer named Lafcadio Hearn lived here for one year and three months as an English teacher. He lived the rest of his life in Japan, but his impressions of Matsue became the standard by which he measured his later experiences in Kumamoto and Tokyo. 
Fujitsu Limited and Fujitsu Network Solutions Limited (collectively "Fujitsu") today announced that they have developed a guide service system for Ueno Zoological Gardens and Hama-rikyu Gardens, to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. With the system's smart device app, called Tokyo Parks Navi, users can access a walking guide to Hama-rikyu Gardens in five languages and to Ueno Zoological Gardens in four languages, with the language automatically chosen in accordance with the user's smart device settings. 
When I was told in the mountains that we were to hike the Stone Buddha Path, I was perplexed. Here in Japan I had only seen Buddha statues near shrines and temples.
War memorials come in all shapes, from towering monuments to low-lying gardens. The 40-year-old Japanese Garden of Peace in Fredericksburg, Texas, is a living memorial to friendship and a gift from the people of Japan to the people of the United States. 
Weather News, a meteorological information company based in Chiba, released this year's forecast on Feb. 18 for the flowering dates of "someiyoshino" cherry trees in 700 locations across the country.