Nishinomiya Japanese Garden

While in Spokane for Bonnie’s memorial gathering, my husband, son (who flew down from University of Alaska, Anchorage during summer term), and I visited the Nishinomiya Japanese garden at Manito Park. This seemed fitting since Bonnie loved to walk her dog, Daisy, in the park, and used many Japanese gardening elements in her own garden.

The Koi pond provides a central focus for the Nishinomiya Garden
in Manito Park (Spokane, Washington).

Nishinomiya Garden is a friendship garden between the cities of Nishinomiya, Japan and Spokane Washington. Nagao Akurai was commissioned to design the garden in 1963 (he had once directed the grounds at the Imperial Palace); two landscape architects—Shosuke Nagai and Hiokiko Kawai—completed the garden in 1974.

A wooden fence encloses the garden, giving it a feeling
of privacy and intimacy.

The garden is designed around a large Koi pond, and surrounded by a large wooden fence. Paths weave around the pond and through the trees, and lead to benches and shelters where you can contemplate the garden or life in general, or converse with a companion. Manito Park is one of Spokane’s treasures.

This structure provides shelter, a secluded place to gather,
 and a view of the garden.