Want to visit a Japanese garden? No need to worry about a plane ticket or passport! Just visit Normandale Community College in Bloomington Minnesota! Minnesota has plenty of hidden gems when it comes to the great outdoors, but one of my favorites that I was lucky enough to visit has to be the Normandale Community College
The first thing you will see when you walk in is this structure. In there, you will find the history of the garden. The creation of the Japanese Garden started in 1967. This was before the campus was even completely built yet. The architect responsible was Takao Watanabe. With the help of him, the Japanese Garden was made into a reality.
Nothing is more calming than the tranquil sound of moving water. The soothing sound travels throughout the entire grounds making this a perfect place for meditation and relaxation.
Benten-dō is a Buddhist temple dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten, goddess of wealth, happiness, wisdom, and music.
The Koi fishes are a great attraction during the warmer times of Minnesota weather. When Koi food is thrown into the water, all of the fishes come that way. You can feed them yourself for only fifty cents!
The Japanese garden is filled with lush plant life and greenery. Unfortunately, plant life is not what you would see in a traditional Japanese garden in Japan. The plants that go in a traditional Japanese garden would not survive the cold Minnesota Winter. Even with this being the case, the garden is beautiful and a one-of-a-kind experience. If you would like to see what the garden is missing, here is a link to “10 flowers you can only find in Japan.” by Bipasha Bhatia https://www.thetravel.com/flowers-only-find-japan/
The Japanese garden is a beautiful place to visit. It creates the perfect environment to meditate, relax, and reflect. They have a path to walk at your own pace or plenty of places to sit and just take it all in. They also have reservation hours available for events and gatherings. If you get the chance to visit whether you are in the area or are going through, I would highly recommend stopping by!
If you would like any more information on the garden, please follow the link below!
https://www.normandale.edu/community/japanese-garden
Seth Rought is a student at St. Cloud State University. He grew up in Maplewood Minnesota. At 22 years old, a passion of his was found during the Covid-19 pandemic. He realized this is the perfect time to be outside. There are so many places to explore in Minnesota, some easy to find, some hidden gems. Being outside is not only a fun activity, but it also has great health benefits both physical and mental! With this blog, he hopes to motivate readers to explore Minnesota. If you would like to see more content, Twitter and Instagram links are listed below!
https://www.instagram.com/greatmnoutdoors/