23 June 2015: Maymont Park

Today, the students took a visit to the Japanese Garden located in Maymont Park. Although the temperatures were super high, everyone managed to have a good time and had the opportunity to take in the view that the garden had to offer. Japanese gardens on the surface don't appear to be all that decorative. However, unlike a typical garden's aesthetic, the goal is to make the area appear completely natural. We learned that nothing within the garden exists without meaning and purpose. We all ate lunch and admired the scenery and then came back to the dorms to study and work on upcoming projects. 

- Maggie San

26 June 2014: Picnic and Community Service at Maymont

6/26 

Word of the Day: Garden, niwa

Stone bridge in the Japanese gardens at Maymont

We were able to visit the beautiful Japanese gardens at Maymont in Richmond, VA. There were various aspects of a typical Japanese garden including a waterfall, stone islands, and a meditation rock garden. The irregular paths in the garden are designed to have the visitor slow down, stop, and look at the beauty and wonder around them. Some of the trees original to the owners are over a hundred years old.  It was a hot and humid day; so many were thankful to find areas of shade and cool off. 

-Melissa

Yesterday, the Japanese Academy visited the Maymont Japanese Garden in Richmond. The students split up into two groups and went on a tour with Ruth and Diane. After the brief tour, the groups split up once again to participate in some community service. Each group had an individualized task to help the garden. The tasks included students cutting down bamboo, picking out weeds, and cleaning algae from the pond. A few willing students got the opportunity to enter the pond itself and sweep algae towards the edges of the pond. The group worked for about an hour, but it was intense and productive. Maymont Estate does not receive funds to maintain the garden, so it relies on volunteers such as us.

              -Matias

GJA Students crossing the pond on stone steps