NAJGA Gardens for Peace (G4P)
August 7 – August 10, 2025
In honor of International Day of Peace, Anderson Gardens will have a variety of activities from August 7 – August 10, 2025.
Some Activities Include:
- The Karesansui (枯山水) or Japanese Rock Garden will be raked in a Peace Pattern designed by Toshiko Tanaka. This will be on display all weekend.
- Tanabata Station – By the West Waterfall, a table will be set along with supplies and instructions to encourage and inspire guests to write Tanabata Wishes (Known as Tanzaku) on colorful strips of paper and hang them on nearby trees.
- Join the Anderson Gardens Tea Study Group for your chance to enjoy tea and a tea sweet from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM (Saturday Only August 9, 2025). The Guest house doors will be open and guests can sit on the edge of the engawa. (Additional Fee of $10)
- Origami Cranes – Bring in a folded origami crane and receive $1 off admission. You can then hang your Origami Crane with the others in the raked gravel garden. A how-to video on folding an Origami Crane can be found HERE
What is Gardens for Peace?
Gardens for Peace (G4P) is an annual NAJGA event. It brings communities together in Japanese gardens, both public and private, to promote peace. A peace pattern is raked into dry gardens to promote peace and involve the community.
G4P Is for Exploration.
G4P’s precursor, Patterns for Peace, brought together five Karesansui gardens in 2020. The gardens raked a peace pattern designed by Hiroshima-based artist, Toshiko Tanaka, a peace activist, and A-bomb survivor. Her pattern represents “heiwa”, or peace in Japanese.
G4P exists to encourage the exploration of Japanese arts and culture firsthand through the common theme of promoting peace, a long-time thread in Japanese Gardens historically. This year, NAJGA aims to continue expanding the scope of our project and encourage even more gardens and communities to explore Japanese arts and culture for the purpose of peace together.