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The Japanese Garden in Kaiserslautern celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
It opened its doors in April 2000, the same time the state of Rheinland-Pfalz conducted its first state garden fair, the Garden Fair Kaiserslautern. Ever since, both gardens open and close the same day each year.
“The idea of creating a Japanese Garden was born after a delegation from Kaiserslautern’s sister city Bunkyo-Ku in Japan had visited our city in 1993,” said Anja Seepe-Breitner, the managing director of the Japanese Garden Kaiserslautern. After finding the perfect area in the center of town in 1996 and founding the Japanese Garden Association Kaiserslautern in 1997, the first phase of construction started in 1998.
Kaiserslautern’s Japanese Garden is the biggest in Europe and the first of its kind in Rheinland-Pfalz. On a surface of 13,500 square meters there are ponds, waterfalls, an authentic teahouse, a zen and mountain garden, and stages for performances.
“We were able to keep about 20 percent of the old tree population; some red beeches are more than 120 years old,” Mrs. Seepe-Breitner said. “The garden’s vegetation includes a huge variety of trees, plants and bushes, which come into blossom at different times of the year.”
The garden can be experienced on a circular walk, showing a series of landscape scenes. Character and atmosphere often change during the garden walk and the views are lured by different eye-catchers and details, such as the 200 koi fish in the ponds.
“Water is the key element of the garden’s design,” Mrs. Seepe-Breitner said.
The lower pond is dominated by a waterfall of 10 meters, and the upper pond by the historic tea house.
“We sometimes offer tea ceremonies with Japanese tea masters in our tea house,” Mrs. Seepe-Breitner said. The tea house and the Zen garden are both available to the public for meditation and yoga sessions as well as wedding ceremonies, which cost a fee of €100 to €150. Wedding parties can have lunch in the outdoor restaurant area across from the tea house.
A circular grass area surrounded by stone steps where the audience can sit on can be used for martial arts and other performances.
“We would love to offer this area for American martial arts clubs. Some of them already enjoyed this area,” Mrs. Seepe-Breitner said.
Daily admission tickets cost €3.50 for adults, €2.50 for students (18 to 25 years old) and €1 for youth (12 to 17 years old). Children under 11 are admitted free.
Customers of the technical works TWK, which owns the TWK season ticket that is also valid for the Kaiserslautern Gartenschau, can get free admission to the Japanese Garden by paying an additional €5 and having it activated at the Gartenschau pay office.
The Japanese Garden is located on Lauterstrasse 18. The entrance is on a side street, Am Abendsberg, next to the Kaiserslautern Kreisverwaltung (County Administration Office). The parking lot behind the Kreisverwaltung (Lauterstrasse 8) is open to the public on weekends.
For more information on guided tours and Japanese tea ceremonies in English, wedding ceremonies and other events, call the Japanese Garden at 0631-3706600 or e-mail info@japanischergarten.de. To find out more about the garden, its set up and activities, visit www.japanischergarten.de.
