The Japanese Garden in Hasselt, Belgium, is the ideal place to fully experience Japanese culture. The grounds cover a total of no less than 2.5 hectares, making it the largest of its kind in Europe. The main mission is to make Japanese culture known in Belgium and the surrounding area.
Make Japanese Culture Known in the Largest Japanese Garden of Europe
When visiting the Japanese garden, especially now in fall, people can feel the harmony in Japanese culture. Throughout the garden, all different varieties of trees, plants, and shrubs are to be seen. And of course, those colors in fall look magnificent.
Peace and Quiet
Originally, a Japanese garden encourages meditation and reflection, and that is no different in Hasselt. Those looking for peace and quiet can find a bench here to listen to the waterfalls, view and feed the koi fish, have a picnic, or take a leisurely stroll around and enjoy the changing view. Sometimes you can also hear the peace bell ring. The peace bell has had a permanent place in the garden since 2016. In addition, there are also numerous activities open to the public every month.
Japanese Garden as a Bond of Friendship
The garden is the result of the bonds of friendship that the cities of Itami (Hyogo prefecture, Japan) and Hasselt have maintained since 1985. It hosts much typical Japanese architecture from which all material was shipped from Japan in order to preserve its authenticity and symbolism. Visitors can see a ceremony house, a tea house, and the iris pond. The iris are planted in ponds in Japanese custom in memory of a friend who has left or died.
Chrysanthemum Festival With the Theme Infinity, Mugen in Japanese.
From 16 to 24 October the Japanese Garden of Hasselt will be in full splendor during the Chrysanthemum Festival. With almost one thousand "Belgian Mums", the garden looks sunny and joyful.
