Buffalo Japanese Garden

The Buffalo Japanese Garden has always been a serene spot in the heart of the city ever since I can remember. This garden truly is a sign of Buffalo's international and multi-cultural activities.

The Japanese garden of Buffalo was completed in 1974 in a great partnership between Japanese and American landscapers and garden designers. Japanese garden experts came from Kanazawa, Ishikawa prefecture in Japan, to further establish the Buffalo-Kanazawa Sister City program.

Kanazawa is home to Kenroku-en Park, one of Japan’s “Top Three Most Scenic Japanese Gardens.” Kenrokuen’s symbolic stone lantern is also used here in Delaware Park; you can see that it is positioned half on the island and half in Mirror Lake.

Here are some recent pictures of the garden in the winter. Japanese gardens can be enjoyed all throughout the year.

Currently the Friends of the Japanese Garden and the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy maintain the garden mostly voluntarily. This wonderful spot really needs more support from the community to keep it alive. Buffalo Rising (click on the garden picture above) has also focused on the Buffalo Japanese Garden and other Japan related events here.

In the 1990’s Kanazawa was very generous and renovated the park with trees, shrubs, stone lanterns etc., and more recently cherry blossoms have been added. Other restorations are in the works as 2012 marks the 50-year anniversary of the Buffalo-Kanazawa Sister City program.

Not unlike many people, my wife and I had many family pictures taken at the Buffalo Japanese Garden right after our wedding. My two younger brothers and I are all four years apart, and when we all graduated at the same time from junior high school, high school, and college we had our pictures taken here with the islands in the background. I can remember when I was younger and would run near the garden and then catch my breath at the top of the Historical Museum’s steps. I can even remember looking at the Japanese garden from across the lake and kissing a girl under the bridge there.

I just realized how important this Japanese garden has been and how many memories have been made there. I would imagine that many people have taken relaxing strolls through there or sat and just taken in the exotic yet natural scenery. See what you can do to help out and keep this great tradition of ours alive, they need our support.

Grand Island Serene Gardens vows to lend a hand and keep the Japanese garden of Buffalo thriving. The garden center is aiming to be up and running in 2011. Last year Josh Smith gave a few concerts of Japanese music that went to help out the Buffalo Japanese garden. CLICK HERE to hear more about those concerts and the DVD that was made.

The Burchfield Penney Concert of Japanese Music
Japanese Gardens Page
Ikebana Japanese Flower Arranging page