The year 2025 is the Year of the Snake, one of the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac. The Snake is the sixth animal in the zodiac cycle, and beyond simply representing a specific year, it carries deep meanings and traditions rooted in ancient beliefs.  ..read more

by Anne Phyfe Palmer The Garden tour with a senior gardener Pete Putnicki On the morning of October 18, about two dozen members of the Camellia Circle enjoyed a private tour of the Seattle Japanese Garden with senior gardener Pete Putnicki. This was the second appreciation event of the year for our donor circle, who contribute $500 or more annually in support of the Garden.  Founded in 2018, the Camellia Circle now counts 50 thoughtful and forward-looking donors and organizations, and they make the Garden’s rigorous landscape maintenance and cultural programs possible. Donors are recogni ..read more

THE ESSENTIAL READING LIST FOR 2024  Called 読書の秋 (dokusho no aki) in Japanese, the colder days and longer nights of fall beckon us to read. Blog contributor Corinne Kennedy has compiled an eclectic list of ten titles, including fiction and non-fiction books for children, teens and adults.  ..read more

The Life and Work of Takuichi Fujii In a new blog series, Corinne Kennedy writes about three Japanese artists who lived and worked in early 20th-century Seattle. By the 1930s, their paintings were winning recognition and awards. However, World War II upended their lives, and until recently their work was largely erased from local art history. Part Two of the series features artist Takuichi Fujii.  ..read more

In this month’s article, Garden Guide Corinne Kennedy writes about the silver birch tree planted by Japan’s Crown Princess Michiko in 1960, the year the Seattle Japanese Garden was created.  ..read more

On August 10, during our next Family Saturday event, the Seattle Japanese Garden will participate in a North American Japanese Garden Association’s Gardens for Peace community project. Garden visitors will be able to draw a peace pattern—designed by Hiroshima-based artist Toshiko Tanaka—on special calligraphy scrolls in remembrance of those who died in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings. The Gardens for Peace project symbolizes our commitment to avoiding past mistakes and maintaining world peace, now and in the future ..read more

In a new blog series, Corinne Kennedy writes about three Japanese artists who lived and worked in early 20th-century Seattle. By the 1930s, their paintings were winning recognition and awards. However, world War II upended their lives, and until recently their work was largely erased from local art history. Part 1 of the series features artist Kamekichi Tokita. Read More READ MORE  ..read more

This post is the fourth and final of the Toro no Akari blog series, an oral history of the Seattle Japanese Garden as told from the perspective of those who know its every inch most intimately: the gardeners. The series reveals a little-known history of stewardship and mentoring—of alighting each other’s paths as a toro lantern would—that’s continued for over sixty years.   In this interview, we hear from Pete Putnicki, the current Senior Gardener, who has expanded his role during his decade-long tenure to include authoring numerous blog posts and articles for the Arboretum Bulletin. He ..read more

Masa Mizuno and his crew during his last pine pruning week at the Seattle Japanese Garden. 2023 (Photo: Chie Iida) This post is the third of the Toro no Akari blog series, an oral history of the Seattle Japanese Garden as told from the perspective of those who know its every inch most intimately: the gardeners. The series reveals a little-known history of stewardship and mentoring—of alighting each other’s paths as a toro lantern would—that’s continued for over sixty years.   In this interview, Masa Mizuno, who recently retired from consulting for Seattle Japanese Garden after more than ..read more

This post is the second of the Toro no Akari blog series, an oral history of the Seattle Japanese Garden as told from the perspective of those who know its every inch most intimately: the gardeners. The series reveals a little-known history of stewardship and mentoring—of alighting each other’s paths as a toro lantern would—that’s continued for over sixty years.   In this interview, we hear from Mark Akai, who contributed his innumerable skills to the garden over a fifty-year span—including as an advisory board member. He reflects on how his personal relationships shaped his career, which ..read more