"Tucked away in a hidden place in Monte Sano State Park is a beautiful Japanese Garden. You can reach the garden via a little worn, but unmarked, path. A small sign reads "no horses or bicycles."
The two-acre garden is surrounded by bamboo. Without the bamboo, I think I would have missed finding the path. Following the path leads to one of two little red bridges.
An open space showcases a Japanese teahouse with a clearing around it.
The Annual Japanese Festival (first Sunday in May) was first started in 1994. It is free to the public and includes Japanese dance demonstrations from a variety of performers, sword fighting and karate exhibitions, origami demonstrations, music from the koto, a Japanese tea ceremony and refreshments for the public. ( I've added a link at bottom to someone else photos of the 2007 festival.)
Since the opening of the Toyota plant in Huntsville, the Japanese population has expanded. However, this little garden was started much earlier in Huntsville's history. In 1989, Robert Black, co-owner of Nikko's Japanese Restaurant in Hampton Cove started working on the garden on Sunday afternoons. Eventually, some of the Japanese engineers at Redstone Arsenal heard about it and started coming out to help. It was just a hobby, with no funding and all volunteer work. The two red bridges were made at home and carried to the park.
This is such a great hideaway to stop by any time to be surrounded by nature and meditate.
Some of the flowers along the short distance I went
Along the road going up to the park
Link to photos from 2007 festival at park
http://huntsville.about.com/od/photogallery/ig/2007-Japanese-Garden/2007-Japanese-Garden-Festival.htm
