THE JOURNEY CONTINUES...

In 2015, we welcomed our first guest to The Richard & Helen DeVos Japanese Garden at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. See how our journey has unfolded over the last five years.

Eight acres of timeless tranquility, the Japanese Garden was a dream realized for Fred and Lena Meijer, who shared an unwavering vision for an international garden. It’s a passion that inspired their friends, Richard and Helen DeVos, to join our founding family in giving major gifts and an endowment that would build and care for the garden over time.

The journey began with the selection of renowned landscape designer Hoichi Kurisu to create an authentic space based on centuries-old Shinto and Buddhist principles that revere nature and a contemplative lifestyle. Beyond plants, Kurisu and our team envisioned an experience for visitors that’s wholly sensory and awe inspiring, as commemorated by the iconic boulder marking the Main Gate.

Over the following years, the landscape took shape with specimen plantings of cherry, bonsai and niwaki (“sculpting tree” in Japanese), complemented by waterfalls, pathways and carpentry of traditional bamboo and wooden structures. In keeping with the duality of our mission, the eight-acre space also became the site of seven major contemporary sculpture by internationally recognized artists Anish Kapoor, Zhang Huan, Masayuki Koorida, Guiseppe Penone, George Rickey, Jenny Holzer and David Nash.

Five years later, season after season, our journey continues to unfold. While it appears to be a wild and wonderful homage to the natural world, the Japanese Garden has undergone a transformation that’s quite intentional, with meticulous nurturing of all natural elements. Trees have been cultivated and pruned to resemble maturity, some angularly planted to stretch out over the water and replicate growth observed in nature, others branching over pathways to create intimate moments of pause and reflection.

And like its gracefully aging aesthetic, the Japanese Garden has evolved into a destination that draws more and more visitors from near and far to immerse and engage all their senses. Architectural trees, colorful blossoms, rushing waterfalls, scents of lilac, patterns of wood grain, textured boulders and moss—every inch begs you to behold the quiet, meditative beauty of the natural world. It’s an escape.

Among the more than 50 points of interest along the winding crushed stone pathways and intriguing bridges are the Lena Meijer Pond, Faith Reflective Gardens, Viewing Hill, Yatsuhashi Zig-Zag Bridge, Poet’s Path, Zen-Style Garden, Shia gazebos, teahouse and sculpture environments. Each one begs a closer look, season after season.

During this milestone summer, we invite you to visit the Japanese Garden and experience how it, like Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park itself, is Always Growing, Always Beautiful, Always New.

To learn more about the Five Main Concepts for understanding The Richard & Helen DeVos Japanese Garden, read this blog post from the grand opening of this beautiful space in 2015.

A number of unique naming opportunities, from benches to lanterns to pathways, are available within The Richard & Helen DeVos Japanese Garden at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Contact Anne Benson, Director of Philanthropy & Membership, at 616-975-3177 or abenson@meijergardens.org if you are interested in exploring an opportunity for permanent recognition.