Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden Centennial
This year, Brooklyn Botanic Garden celebrates 100 years of its iconic Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. This extraordinary and beloved place was the first Japanese garden in an American public botanic garden, and today it remains of one of the finest examples of its kind outside Japan. It is one of the most visited sites within Brooklyn Botanic Garden's 52 acres and has inspired millions of adults and children through the generations with the beauty of Japanese culture and design.
History
Special Events
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Mizue Sawano: Images of Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Saturday, March 26–Sunday, June 12, 2016
Mizue Sawano's paintings burst with color and activity. This exhibition focuses on works inspired by the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. Learn More -
Sakura Matsuri
Saturday, April 30–Sunday, May 1, 2016
Renowned as New York City's rite of spring, this annual cherry blossom festival offers more than 60 events and performances that celebrate traditional and contemporary Japanese culture. Learn More -
Special Tour: A Japanese Spring in Brooklyn
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Enjoy the beauty of the Japanese Hill-and Pond Garden and view highlights of BBG’s collections of plants native to Japan.Learn More
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Japanese Garden Centennial Gala
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Celebrate spring and support the Garden with a cocktail reception, a formal dinner, and a dance party under the stars.Learn More
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Gala After Party
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
The party continues after the Gala with dancing, drinks, and dessert.Learn More
Japanese Collections at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
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Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden
The Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden is one of the oldest and most visited Japanese-inspired gardens outside Japan. It is a blend of the ancient hill-and-pond style and the more recent stroll-garden style, in which various landscape features are gradually revealed along winding paths. Learn More >
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C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum
The Garden's collection of approximately 350 bonsai is the second oldest in the country and one of the largest on public display outside Japan, with as many as 30 specimens on exhibit at any given time. Learn More
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Tree Peony Collection
Three hundred tree peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa) were presented to BBG in 2002 by the Japanese town of Yatsuka-Cho in Shimane Prefecture “to bring peace of mind to people in the United States” after the events of September 11, 2001. Learn More
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Flowering Cherry Trees
The Garden's collection of ornamental cherry trees is one of the most diverse in the United States, with over 200 trees representing nearly 30 varieties growing throughout the grounds. Learn More
Japanese Garden Centennial Honorary Chairs
Caroline Kennedy, Ambassador of the United States of America to Japan
“Congratulations to Brooklyn Botanic Garden on a century of inspiration and beauty. For 100 years, BBG has introduced New Yorkers to the beauty of Japanese gardens. This institution plays an important role in the deep friendship and mutual admiration of our two great countries, and I am so glad to know that there will always be a little piece of Japan right near home.”
Reiichiro Takahashi, Ambassador and Consul General of Japan in New York
“This is an historic moment for Brooklyn Botanic Garden, in which the Garden will elevate and celebrate the vibrant relationship and enduring ties it has helped to cultivate between the United States and Japan.”
Japanese Garden Centennial Support
Lead Sponsor
The Freeman Foundation
Major Sponsor
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group
Sponsors
JCC Fund of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York
Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas)
Sony Corporation of America
Sumitomo Corporation of Americas Foundation
Friends
Brother International Corporation
Canon U.S.A., Inc.
The Japan Foundation, New York
Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal U.S.A., Inc.
Toyota
Partners
The Helen V. Froehlich Foundation
Special Donors, Isamu Noguchi at BBG
Dana and Rick Dirickson
Suzy Marquard and Jim Breckenridge
Tin Man Fund
Anonymous friend of the Garden
Honorary Host Committee (List In Formation)
Tsutomu Karino, BBG Trustee
Kanetsugu Mike, Regional Executive for the Americas, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group
Toshikazu (Kaz) Nambu, President and CEO, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas
Masahiro (Matt) Soga, SVP, Sony Professional Solutions of America