Japanese Friendship Garden

You never know where you will find tranquility, or an interesting venue to tour.  In the heart of Phoenix, AZ, within a stone’s throw of I-10, and next door to a high-rise apartment building is Ro Ho En, the Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix.  

The garden encompasses 3.5 acres and includes a tea garden, a tea house, a koi pond that is 5/8 of an acre. It is a joint project of the sister cities of Phoenix and Himeji, Japan. Ro Ho En is a combination of three Japanese words. Ro means Heron, a bird symbol of Himeji City. Shirasagi-jō, or the White Heron Castle, is a 300-year-old medieval castle in Himeji. Ho is the Japanese word for the mythical Phoenix bird. En means garden.

This tranquil and beautiful setting features more than 1,500 tons of hand-picked rock, stone footbridges, lanterns and more than 50 varieties of plants. While strolling the path, you will enjoy flowing streams, a 12-foot waterfall, and a Koi pond with over 300 colorful Koi fish. Make sure you purchase Koi food when you check in.  The Koi pond is loaded with ducks and they will get to the food first.  You may have a duck befriend you and the pigeons will actually land on your arm at allow you to hand feed them! Pretty entertaining.

The Garden showcases more than 50 varieties of plants including two varieties of bamboo. The designers chose plant species that can withstand the rigors of a desert environment while still reflecting the serenity of a Japanese Garden. 1,500 tons of rock handpicked from quarries near Jerome, Superior, Congress and Florence line the stream beds, walking paths, lake shore and main lake waterfall. You can really lose yourself in the peacefulness of the garden and when you look up and see the high-rise it becomes very surreal!