Japanese garden of Hasselt, Japanese garden in Hasselt, Belgium
The Japanese Garden of Hasselt is a landscaped garden in the Belgian city of Hasselt, featuring ponds, stone lanterns, wooden bridges, and ornamental cherry trees. Winding footpaths connect the different sections of the grounds, guiding visitors through a space designed according to traditional Japanese garden principles.
The garden was created through a partnership between Hasselt and the Japanese city of Itami, which brought Japanese gardeners and craftsmen to Belgium to design and build the space. Work began in the 1980s and the garden opened to the public in the early 1990s.
The garden is one of the largest Japanese gardens in Europe outside Japan and is maintained by gardeners who travel from Japan to care for it. Visitors can attend traditional tea ceremonies held on the grounds, where the rituals follow Japanese customs closely.
The garden is open from April through October, and a visit in spring is worth planning if you want to see the cherry trees in bloom. Wear comfortable shoes, as the paths curve through the grounds with some gentle slopes along the way.
The materials used to build the garden, including stones and timber, were shipped directly from Japan to Belgium. Even today, specialists travel from Japan to carry out specific maintenance work on the grounds.
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