Stone bridge over Mapes Creek (Kubota Garden stone bridge)

Actually, this is only half of the bridge that crosses Mapes Creek near the Heart Bridge. I took this photo standing on Heart Bridge.

The stone bridge is fairly narrow, but you can still traverse carefully across (or dash across for the daring!).
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This photo is of the stone (or is it concrete?) bridge at Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. It was taken on July 7, 2007. Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

Actually, this is only half of the bridge that crosses Mapes Creek near the Heart Bridge. It is fairly narrow, but you can still traverse carefully across (or dash across for the daring!).

According to their brochure, Mapes Creek is "an all-season creek that runs through the Kubota Garden Natural Area and feeds the Necklace of Ponds."

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

For information about the garden and Fujitaro Kubota, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Pretty tree (Kubota Garden tree)

This was from the Nursery Plantings section. The brochure describes this section as being "of bamboo, yew, birch, and other plants remain from the nursery days."

I don't know what kind of tree this is, but it stood out because of its color and its light, feathery leaves. Sadly, the green thumbs of my parents' generation seems to have skipped mine. My cousin and I tried to identify some flora within the garden, but soon recognized the futility of it and gave up.
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This photo is of a tree at Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. It was taken on July 7, 2007. Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

This was from the Nursery Plantings section. Their brochure says of the Nursery Plantings "of bamboo, yew, birch, and other plants remain from the nursery days."

I don't know what kind of tree this is, but it stood out because of its color and its light, feathery leaves.

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

For information about the garden and Fujitaro Kubota, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Spring Pond (Kubota Garden Spring Pond)

This is the Spring Pond. According to the brochure I picked up at the entrance, the Spring Pond is "fed by several local springs. The Kubota family used it to water six acres of nursery stock once planted to the south."

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This photo is of the Spring Pond at Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. It was taken on July 7, 2007. Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

According to their brochure, the Spring Pond is "fed by several local springs. The Kubota family used it to water six acres of nursery stock once planted to the south."

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

For information about the garden and Fujitaro Kubota, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Animal trees =) (Kubota Garden trees)

This was also from the Nursery Plantings section. I don't know what kind of trees they are, but there were quite a few of these types in the garden. If you know what these are, please add a comment and let me know!

The trees looked very soft and seemed to have form...to me, the one on the right looks like a gorilla. Many others seemed to take on various animal forms. =)
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This photo is of some of the trees at Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. It was taken on July 7, 2007. Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

This was from the Nursery Plantings section. Their brochure says of the Nursery Plantings "of bamboo, yew, birch, and other plants remain from the nursery days."

I don't know what kind of trees they are, but there were quite a few in the garden. They looked very soft and seemed to have form...to me, the one on the right looks like a gorilla. =)

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

For information about the garden and Fujitaro Kubota, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Stepping stones (Kubota Garden waterfall stepping stones)

These stones provide a pathway across the waterway at the bottom of the main waterfall area. I took the waterfall picture in the previous photo standing on one of these stepping stones.

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This photo is of the stepping stones at the waterfall at Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. It was taken on July 7, 2007. Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

The waterfall is part of the Mountainside section of Kubota Garden. These stones provide a pathway across the waterway. See a picture of the waterfall: Kubota Garden waterfall. I took the waterfall picture standing on one of these stepping stones.

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

For information about the garden and Fujitaro Kubota, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Stone stairs (Kubota Garden stone stairs)

Within the garden, there are few paved roads. It is all very natural, particularly the older sections of the garden that Fujitaro built. These steps are an example of the natural elements that were used to get around the garden.
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This photo shows some stone steps at Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. It was taken on July 7, 2007. Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

Within the garden, there are few paved roads. It is all very natural, particularly the older sections of the garden that Fujitaro built. These steps are an example of the natural elements that were used to navigate the garden.

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

For information about the garden and Fujitaro Kubota, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Lookout (Kubota Garden Lookout)

When you get to the top of the Mountainside, just above the waterfall, there is this nice viewing/resting area. The tree branch-covered wooden umbrella offers a refreshing shade from the sun (or, I suppose from the elements if it's raining or snowing).

Wooden benches provide a nice respite after walking up the Mountainside, but the best part of the Lookout is the view of the garden 65 feet below. It's an amazing vista that looks out across the lush garden grounds.
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This photo is of the Lookout at Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. It was taken on July 7, 2007. Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

This is a nice viewing/resting area atop the man-made mountain. It's above the waterfall area and is provides nice, cool shade on a hot day. Benches provide a nice respite after walking up the Mountainside.

According to their brochure, the Lookout "offers a wooden umbrella and a grand view of the garden 65 feet below."

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

For information about the garden and Fujitaro Kubota, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Directional signage (Kubota Garden directional signage)

There were several signs like this one engraved into stone to help you find your way. Even with the map, it was a little confusing finding our way around and back. The garden is sprawled over 4.5 acres of land and features many twisting walkways that guide you through.

The concept of "mie gakure"—or "hidden and seen"—is a central design principle in Japanese stroll gardens, where the path curves, and elements are arranged so that new, unexpected views are discovered at each turn. I recogized Kubota Garden's usage of this design element throughout the vast grounds.
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This is an example of the directional signage at the Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. Much of the signage at Kubota Garden is carved/engraved into stone. This photo was taken on July 7, 2007.

Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

For information about the garden, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Fera Fera Forest (Kubota Garden Fera Fera forest)

According to the brochure, the Fera Fera forest is "a tranquil refuge, originally a nursery planting of Threadleaf Cypress."

I was curious where they got the name Fera Fera Forest. Google and Yahoo! searches for 'fera fera' didn't result in anything relevant. Then, I tried a search on 'threadleaf cypress' and I think I was able to solve the mystery. The common name for that tree is 'Filifera'. In Japanese, there is no 'L' sound, so words with them are pronounced with 'R'. =)

In any case, the "fera fera" trees are gone now, replaced with a loosely winding path of trees that provide an intimate area of nice, cool shade.

This section reminded me of the scene from Mamo's Weeds where Mamo is chasing after the ghostly figure in the garden late at night. I imagine this area is a bit spooky at night...
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This photo is of the Fera Fera forest at Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. It was taken on July 7, 2007. Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

According to their brochure, the Fera Fera forest is "a tranquil refuge, originally a nursery planting of Threadleaf Cypress."

I was curious where they got the name Fera Fera Forest. Google and Yahoo! searches for 'fera fera' didn't result in anything relevant. Then, I tried a search on 'threadleaf cypress' and I think I was able to solve the mystery. The common name for that tree is 'Filifera'. In Japanese, there is no 'L' sound, so words with them are pronounced with 'R'. =)

In any case, the "fera fera" trees are gone now, replaced with a loosely winding path of trees that provide an intimate area of nice, cool shade.

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

For information about the garden and Fujitaro Kubota, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Stone lantern (Kubota Garden stone lantern)

I believe this was at the Japanese Garden part of Kubota Garden which is the oldest part, completed in the 1930s. It's also the most traditional part of the garden.
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This photo is of a stone lantern at Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. It was taken on July 7, 2007. Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

I think this was at the Japanese Garden part of Kubota Garden. See the pond that's next to this: Kubota Garden pond & stone bridge in Japanese Garden.

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

For information about the garden and Fujitaro Kubota, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Pine trees (Kubota Garden matsu)

This is one of the many pine (matsu) trees in the garden. It's in the Tom Kubota Stroll Garden.

According to the brochure, the stroll garden "features long views, many places to sit, and stone from the high Cascades. It was designed and built in 1999 by Tom Kubota, son of Fujitaro, and a generous benefactor of the garden. The west entrance displays an extraordinary 32-foot-long Weeping Blue Atlas cedar, several Weeping Norway Spruce, a Camperdown Elm and a grove of Cornus mas."

Fujitaro Kubota used a variety of plants - both what you would expect to find in a Japanese-style garden, but also used plants native to the Pacific Northwest.
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This is a photo of one of the many pine trees at Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. It was taken on July 7, 2007. Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

This is part of the Tom Kubota Stroll Garden. According to their brochure, it "features long views, many places to sit, and stone from the high Cascades. It was designed and built in 1999 by Tom Kubota, son of Fujitaro, and a generous benefactor of the garden. The west entrance displays an extraordinary 32-foot-long Weeping Blue Atlas cedar, several Weeping Norway Spruce, a Camperdown Elm and a grove of Cornus mas."

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

For information about the garden and Fujitaro Kubota, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Japanese Garden spring pond (Kubota Garden pond & stone bridge in Japanese Garden)

This bridge is above the pond in the Japanese Garden section. According to the brochure, the Japanese Garden "features a spring-fed pond and stones left in the Seattle area 12,000 years ago by the last glacier."
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This photo is of the stone (or is it concrete?) bridge at Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. It was taken on July 7, 2007. Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

This bridge is above the pond in the Japanese Garden section of Kubota Garden. According to their brochure, the Japanese Garden is "the most traditional part of the garden. It features a spring-fed pond and stones left in the Seattle area 12,000 years ago by the last glacier." This part of the garden was completed in the 1930s.

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

For information about the garden and Fujitaro Kubota, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Waterfall (Kubota Garden waterfall)

The waterfall is part of the Mountainside section. It was built by the Kubota family to celebrate the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle, and offers the visitor a miniature walk into the mountains. The waterfalls are formed by stone from North Bend and fed by water pumped up from the lowest pond.

According to the website, "Fujitaro placed over 400 tons of stone to create the Mountainside with featured waterfalls, reflection pools, carved stones and the plants that he had worked with throughout his life."

It's amazing to see in person, especially when you realize that he was already in his 80s at the time. Looking down from the top is a breathtaking view. You can see the vastness of the garden and its greenery. The waterfall has multiple levels and is beautiful to behold.
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This photo is of the waterfall at Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. It was taken on July 7, 2007. Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

The waterfall is part of the Mountainside section of Kubota Garden. According to their brochure, the Mountainside "built by the Kubota family to celebrate the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle, offers the visitor a miniature walk into the mountains. The waterfalls are formed by stone from North Bend and fed by water pumped up from the lowest pond."

According to the website, "Fujitaro placed over 400 tons of stone to create the Mountainside with featured waterfalls, reflection pools, carved stones and the plants that he had worked with throughout his life."

It is truly amazing to see in person, especially knowing that he was already in his 80s at the time. Looking down from the top is a breathtaking view. You can see the vastness of the garden and its greenery. The waterfall has multiple levels and beautiful to behold.

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

For information about the garden and Fujitaro Kubota, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Top of the gate (Kubota Garden entry gate - detail of top)

This is the top center portion as you walk through the gate.
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Detail of underneath the top part of the entry gate at Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. The gate features a beautiful, bronze sliding gate designed and installed in 2004 by Gerard Tsutakawa, the son of renowned Pacific Northwest sculptor George Tsutakawa. This photo was taken on July 7, 2007.

See a photo of the gate and read the information about it that they have posted near the entrance: Kubota Garden entry gate

Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

For information about the garden, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Heart Bridge (Kubota Garden Heart Bridge)

This is the Heart Bridge. It's one of two red bridges in the garden. Like the Japanese Garden, this was also built in the 1930s.

The brochure says that the Heart Bridge "crosses Mapes Creek and is like a traditional red bridge on Mr. Kubota's home island."

Mapes Creek is an all-season creek that runs through the Kubota Garden Natural Area and feeds the Necklace of Ponds.
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This photo is of the Heart Bridge at Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. It was taken on July 7, 2007. Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

The Heart Bridge is one of two red bridges in the garden. According to their brochure, the Heart Bridge crosses Mapes Creek and is like a traditional red bridge on Fujitaro Kubota's home island of Shikoku in Japan. It was built in the 1930s.

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

For information about the garden and Fujitaro Kubota, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Moon Bridge (Kubota Garden Moon Bridge)

This is the other red bridge. It was built in the 1970s and features a very steep ascent and descent, which according to the brochure, symbolizes the difficulty of living a good life: "Hard to walk up and hard to walk down."
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This photo is of the Moon Bridge at Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. It was taken on July 7, 2007. The Moon Bridge is one of two red bridges in the garden. It was built in the 1970s. According to their brochure, the Moon Bridge symbolizes the difficulty of living a good life: "Hard to walk up and hard to walk down."

Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

For information about the garden, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Left door of entry gate (Kubota Garden enry gate - left side)

The gate was open, so this is only the left half. It looks like an abstracted sun/wave motif.
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The entry gate at Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. It is a beautiful, bronze sliding gate designed and installed in 2004 by Gerard Tsutakawa, the son of renowned Pacific Northwest sculptor George Tsutakawa. This photo was taken on July 7, 2007.

The gate was open, so this is only half. The other half is similar in design. See a photo and read the information about the gate that they have posted near the entrance: Kubota Garden entry gate

Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

For information about the garden, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Entry gate (Kubota Garden entry gate)

The entry gate is a beautiful, bronze sliding gate designed and installed in 2004 by Gerard Tsutakawa, the son of renowned Pacific Northwest sculptor George Tsutakawa.

View the original item to see more information about the artist and the gate.
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The entry gate at Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington. It is a beautiful, bronze sliding gate designed and installed in 2004 by Gerard Tsutakawa, the son of renowned Pacific Northwest sculptor George Tsutakawa. This photo was taken on July 7, 2007.

Kubota Garden is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. It was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota.

Here is the information that they have posted near the entrance:

GATE

DESIGNER: Gerard Tsutakawa: studied sculpture and fountain design under his father, George, from 1970-1980. From 1970-1991 he studied metallurgy and engineering under Jack Uchida and was director of fountain and sculpture fabrication, production and installation for George Tsutakawa Art Studio. He has numerous public installation including 'The Mitt' at Safeco Field and the 'Fountain of Sesemagi' at Seattle Center.

DIMENSIONS: The gate is 7 feet tall. It consists of two sliding panels with a total width of 13 feet. It weighs about 600 pounds.

MATERIALS: Bronze with an applied patina

CONSTRUCTION: The design was made, computerized and put on a disc. The bronze was placed on a sheet and the design was laser cut into it. The various elements of the design were then welded onto the hand built frame.

DESIGN: (from an interview with Mr. Tsutakawa, February 2004) "The design is an abstracted rising sun: organic, swirling, free floating, and emitting energy. It is a non-traditional feature of Japanese homes".

By Jean Hobart (Kubota Garden Foundation Board Member)

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

To see part of the bronze gate more close up, see: Kubota Garden enry gate - left side. Here's a photo of underneath the top part of the gate: Kubota Garden entry gate - detail of top.

For information about the garden, please visit their website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history.

Signage from the road (Kubota Garden signage)

Kubota Garden is in a residential area in southern Seattle. Apparently, it's a little difficult to find if you're not familiar with the area. Luckily, it's very close by to where my relatives live, so we walked.

This stone sits at the corner of the side street where you turn into to get to the garden's entrance and parking lot.

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Kubota Garden in Seattle, Washington is a public garden that is now owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. In 1981, it was designated an Historical Landmark of the City of Seattle. The garden is free to the public and open daylight hours.

The garden was originally created and maintained for many years by Fujitaro Kubota, an Issei that came to the United States in 1907 from Shikoku. He was entirely self-taught as a gardener. He established the Kubota Gardening Company in 1923. In 1927, he began his garden. It was used as a design and display center for his business, as well as a nursery to grow plant materials for gardens installed by the company. They also shared access to the garden to the local Nikkei community for social and cultural activities.

Much of the signage at Kubota Garden is carved/engraved into stone. This is the signage announcing the garden at the street where you turn onto the road to get to the entrance. The back of this large rock has the same signage. This photo was taken on July 7, 2007.

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98118

Information above is from the Kubota Garden website: www.kubota.org. The site includes a brief history, photos, schedule of events, wedding & tour information, membership info, event info, map, and directions.