Ah, Spring! Finally trees are blooming again. New greens sprouting from dormant branches stir up a hankering for getting things going. vroom vroom! Things to do to ring in spring:
1. Dig out your galoshes and umbrella
2. Visit the cherry blossoms on Kelly Drive
3. Drop by Japanese House in Fairmount Park
Japanese House and Garden
The Shofuso Japanese House and Garden is tucked away in Fairmount Park, right behind the horticultural center. It was built in Japan in 1953 and brought over to the United States as a gift. According to the docents on site, the house replicates what would have been the abode for a feudal lord back in the Edo period of the 17th to 19th century.
Regular citizens (or more accurately, peasants) wouldn’t have been able to afford such luxurious homes complete with gardens and tea house.
The design is elegant and understated, a tradition still carried on in mainstream Japanese style architecture and design. Sturdily supported on wooden posts, the wood frame structure of this shoin-zukuri style house is encased in delicate sliding wood slat doors and paper screens (shoji). Each room is covered wall to wall in tatami mats softer than carpert that are soothing on bare feet.
- Tatami mats are softer than carpet!
Wrapped around the house is a wooden deck that is shaded by the large roof overhangs. The roof, one of the most interesting features of the house, is made using layers upon layers of kenoki bark, a type of cypress tree. A natural insect repellent, the roof can last for years and years faithfully shedding water without the constant need for replacement.
- Roof construction
- Terrace to tea room
An important ritual in Japanese culture is the tea ceremony. Drinking of tea is an experience in itself and one to be savored slowly and enjoyed with the mind at peace. In this sense, the tea garden encourages the visitor to take their time and absorb in the views of the garden by employing non-linear paths and using irregular shaped stones along the walk. By constantly changing the view of the visitor, he or she can truly appreciate their surroundings and thus the partaking of tea becomes more fulfilling.
Meandering path to tea garden
- first bird of spring
THE JUMPSTART PROJECT 