Japanese Friendship Garden, Japanese garden in downtown Phoenix, United States
Japanese Friendship Garden, called Rohō-en in Japanese, is a 3.5-acre stroll garden in Phoenix. Its stream beds, paths and lake shore are lined with 1,500 tons of rock hand-picked from quarries near Jerome, Superior, Congress and Florence. A 12-foot waterfall feeds a koi pond of 5/8 acre holding over 300 koi, and stone footbridges and lanterns cross the grounds.
The garden began through a partnership between Phoenix and Himeji, Japan in 1976, which led to its construction overseen by Japanese landscape architects. This connection reflected a formal relationship between the two cities.
The garden's name, Rohō-en, combines ro (heron, the symbol of Himeji and its White Heron Castle), hō (the mythical phoenix Fenghuang) and en (garden). A tea house stands on the grounds, and moon-viewing gatherings (tsukimi) are held there. In April 2017 Rohō-en signed a sister-garden affiliation with Kōko-en in Himeji, and the two gardens promote each other.
The garden sits above the Interstate 10 tunnel, next to Margaret T. Hance Park and the Phoenix Center for the Arts in downtown Phoenix. It is run by the non-profit Japanese Friendship Garden in partnership with the city's Parks and Recreation Department. Visitors enter on foot through the garden gate; the paths are gravel and stone, so sturdy shoes help.
The garden's name, Rohō-en, combines three kanji: ro (heron, the symbol of Himeji), hō (the mythical phoenix Fenghuang) and en (garden). The koi pond covers 5/8 of an acre and holds over 300 koi. The garden sits above the Interstate 10 tunnel, next to Margaret T. Hance Park.
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