WIT Life #96: ヒューストンの日本庭園
Anecdote Article, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life 
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
The hot, humid weather down here in Houston certainly takes its toll on the body, but I was able to enjoy a morning run this weekend with one of the participants in my group (By the way, this fellow runner is also a former interpreter, and I would highly recommend her Japanese-only very entertaining blog). Our destination was Hermann Park located just off of the Rice University campus, and when we arrived and did some exploring we were able to find a Japanese garden! (日本庭園 or Nihon teien)
It was authentic in all respects, with manicured paths and a large tea house in the back. We took respite in the shade and slowed down to a walk to enjoy our time there. It was the perfect place to grab a drink of water and take in the scenery. Evidently the park was designed in 1992, and the stone lanterns 
adorning the premises were a gift from Houston’s sister city of Chiba as a symbol of their friendship.
Beyond the tea house was an area with rocks placed in raked sand that was reminiscent of Kyoto’s Ryoanji, one of my favorite spots to visit during my ryuugaku days. Maybe it was because of this connection, but I really had a sense of peace being there. I met up with a JET friend for dinner that night, and he was telling me how the garden is often used for Japanese festivals as well as tea ceremonies. This beautiful garden in Houston was a lovely unexpected discovery!
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