Stopped by Smith College to see what had become of the Japanese Garden.
The garden had been built back in 1986 when both my wife and I were in the area as students (she at Smith, I at UMass Amherst). Ironically, neither of us had any interest in Chinese or Japanese gardens at that point in our lives, even though we were both about to head of to China for language study abroad.
The garden originally had a tea hut, that over the years was vandalized, and was being used for recreational drug use (a homeless man was also found dead in the structure in 2014). In 2015 the college decided to remove the structure.
Below are pictures I found on the internet of the tea hut in better times:
My wife and I hadn't returned to the garden in many years, and in fact, we only visited it once in 2012 while our daughter was a student at Smith (before the hut was removed). Unfortunately, I did not photograph the hut during that visit, but I remember it being in a state of serious disrepair.
On this return trip in 2017, we decided to take a look, especially since I was now on a quest to see as many gardens as possible. Seeing the garden in a state of disrepair was sad. The tea hut was gone, and so was any sense that a garden had once been there.
Honestly, it was a disappointment. With the exception of some moss and grasses, it didn't look much better. Given Smith's reputation, its own Botanic Gardens, and its focus on being a multi-cultural and international educational institution, I think they could have done better.
The garden had been built back in 1986 when both my wife and I were in the area as students (she at Smith, I at UMass Amherst). Ironically, neither of us had any interest in Chinese or Japanese gardens at that point in our lives, even though we were both about to head of to China for language study abroad.
The garden originally had a tea hut, that over the years was vandalized, and was being used for recreational drug use (a homeless man was also found dead in the structure in 2014). In 2015 the college decided to remove the structure.
Below are pictures I found on the internet of the tea hut in better times:
And below, the tea hut in its later years:
My wife and I hadn't returned to the garden in many years, and in fact, we only visited it once in 2012 while our daughter was a student at Smith (before the hut was removed). Unfortunately, I did not photograph the hut during that visit, but I remember it being in a state of serious disrepair.
On this return trip in 2017, we decided to take a look, especially since I was now on a quest to see as many gardens as possible. Seeing the garden in a state of disrepair was sad. The tea hut was gone, and so was any sense that a garden had once been there.
It appeared that no one had been maintaining the garden. Additionally, the absence of the tea hut left the space seemingly abandoned.
However, in October, we were back on campus once again, and we were informed by a faculty member that the garden was being re-dedicated the following day. We were surprised, especially given the state of the garden back in August. So, we headed back down to take another look. Here is what we found:
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