The Grand Island Serene Gardens FamilyThe Grand Island Serene Gardens Family are actually all members of the Smith family. Both Josh and his wife Satomi, are fluent in both Japanese and English and have many cross-cultural experiences having lived in the US and Japan. • TV Interview About the Recent Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan Our hearts go out to the families affected by this tragedy. Josh has lived in Japan for over 12 years and received his Master’s and PhD in Cultural Sociology at Osaka University. He made a living in Nara as a teacher and performer of the Shakuhachi, the Japanese bamboo flute, with currently 2 CDs released. He has made numerous appearances on national television and radio in Japan and the US. He graduated high school from the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts and continued his art study in Japan studying Japanese black-ink painting. He has also studied Japanese gardens and maintained the temple garden “Koguen” (Taimadera Temple) in Nara. He has studied/apprenticed at Furukawa Teijuen, one of the largest nurseries and Japanese garden design companies in Kansai. Mr. Furukawa won 1st prize in a recent national Japanese garden competition with an original design of tradition and modernity. His style inspires Josh's Japanese garden design and gardening techniques.
Josh’s wife Satomi has studied the Ikenobo style of Japanese flower arrangement (Ikebana) since she was a child in Fukui, Japan. Satomi has knowledge of Japanese aesthetics, especially in regards to interior home decorating with influence from her mother (also an accomplished Ikebana Flower Arranger), as well as years of experience working for an international trading company in Osaka, Japan. Miana is our little one who really runs the show around here. All of her best thinking is done from under this desk! 
Josh’s brother Matt, a professional musician and artist in his own right, is also studying horticulture and landscape design, adding invaluable ideas and help to the garden center. He is also currently studying the history of Japanese gardens and bonsai. Here he is with Huck, enjoying Buffalo's own Japanese gardens. 
Overall though, Grand Island Serene Gardens is possible because our whole family, including Mom, Dad, and the grandparents too, is working together and contributing in different ways. I just wanted to let you know that we are real people just like you, not just a website of recycled Wikipedia information or an advertising page. We value you as a customer and vow to give you the best service that you deserve. Please stop by the garden center this spring when we open our doors to give you a unique shopping experience. We aim for this experience to contribute to your overall wellbeing and help you develop your serene space. We hope to share and foster an appreciation for Japanese traditional arts such as Japanese gardens, Japanese painting, pottery, Japanese music etc. In the Japanese Paintings section we offer original paintings done by Josh, and in the Japanese Music section we sell Josh’s relaxing meditational Shakuhachi flute music of traditional and original pieces. The Japanese pottery we sell is all one-of-a-kind and has been handpicked by us from artists we have made connections with in Japan. Similarly, the kimono obi are also hand-picked in Japan for both style and affordability. 
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