Thursdays are "Skipper Trip" days at LCG, a wonderful way to explore what's happening out there. Every other month there is a "Skipper Trip" to Balboa Park. This magical place with its many areas to visit is home to many gardens.
Because of the March 2011 devastation in Japan, this writer thought it would be nice to write about the Japanese Friendship Garden, a place of peace, serenity, and spectacular beauty.
In March during the Cherry Blossom Festival, this garden held a fund raiser for the Japanese people. Many other sights beckon the visitors: a fabulous Koi Pond, an exhibition hall showing a private collection of Japanese artifacts from around the world, and a lovely Tea Pavilion for a lunch and a visit to the gift shop.
The entire experience of the visit is like stepping into another world filled with many visual delights.
According to their website, "The Japanese Friendship Garden is an expression of friendship between San Diego and its sister city Yokohama that binds the two cultures to create a unique experience for visitors from all over the world. This garden is well known for its special setting, stone arrangement, koi pond, and its ornamental tree collection. The Garden reopened in September 1999 and sits on a new site that covers 2 acres of its 11 acre plot. It is in the midst of an expansion which will be completed in time for the centennial celebration of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition."
This particular "Skipper Trip" to Balboa Park and its gardens would be the perfect summer day.