Just beyond the entrance lies the chaniwa, the tea garden. Stepping stones lead to a washbasin with running water, where visitors are encouraged to wash away the weight of everyday life.
“You just purify yourself,” said Cristiana Bertoldi, cultural director and curator of Yume Japanese Gardens at Tucson Botanical Gardens. “It’s like a transitional space where you forget what’s in the world.”
These are the first steps of a serene trail, down which wanderers are immersed in Japanese heritage, tranquility and contemplation. This meditative space dates back to 2013, when Patricia Derrider founded Yume Japanese Gardens on land that had previously been home to Native Seed/SEARCH…