Japanse Tuin
“Walking through the Japanese Tuin in Hasselt, Belgium, brought me right back to the time I was in Japan during the sakura season. It’s a well made and enjoyable garden, a perfect break from the city.”
A visit to Hasselt is not complete without a visit to its famous Japanese garden. It’s mostly famous for being the biggest Japanese garden of Europe and also because of its beauty, being not a copy but a true Japanese garden. The garden was designed in 1992 by architects from the city of Itami, as a gift to the city of Hasselt. They made sure to make the garden as perfect as a Japanese garden can be.
One of the things Japanese gardens are known for are of course cherry blossoms. The garden in Hasselt has about 200 cherry blossom trees, which will bloom during April. Sadly it had been a hard winter so when we visited the cherry blossoms, also known as sakura, weren’t in bloom yet. But when they are the sight must be absolutely magnificent! You can go here to go for a walk, take a break from the city or go for some hanami – a Japanese tradition where you picknick under the sakura trees.
There are several other traditional Japanese things to be found in this garden, like the tea house, stone lanterns, a rock garden, waterfalls. They all have there meaning in Japanese culture, like the cherry blossoms stand for transience as they bloom just shortly. The tea house holds some actual tea ceremonies, which you can also visit.
A beautiful and very authentic feeling Japanese garden and definitely a must visit if you ask me!
