The Japanese garden of Hasselt

Hidden away in a rather unknown Flemish city, you will find a Japanese garden full of cherry trees.

I can’t recall now how I ever came to find this place but I’m sure glad I did. In fact, this garden in Hasselt boasts the title of being the biggest Japanese garden in Europe.

The park is full of cherry trees, magnolia trees, koi ponds, and even a waterfall. It’s a tranquil place full of greenery with a few traditional Japanese houses. You’ll feel like you traveled abroad during your visit. It’s a place unlike any other!

The garden is a result of a friendship between the cities of Hasselt and Itami. Hence, it continually celebrates Japanese culture. Every spring when the trees are in bloom, there are many events you can attend.

They organize events ranging from IkebanaArt of Japanese flower arrangement, with formal display according to strict rules., calligraphy to tea ceremonies, and much more. Since the garden oozes tranquility, I was happy we visited it on a calm Wednesday afternoon.

We were able to comfortably enjoy our walk through the garden and take lots of photos. Towards the end of our visit, it was snowing cherry blossom petals!

The wind softly carried the petals away while we stood there in awe. The visit to the garden made me want to live closer to it so I could visit it more often in the spring.

April has already amazed me with all the colors of spring and there is still more to come. I love that the spring blossoms come in waves so you can catch them all!

By the end of the month, we’ll have visited the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken and the Hallerbos forest. And I can’t decide which one sounds more exciting! April might be on a good path to becoming my favorite month!