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.

The garden was a result of a friendship between the cities of Hasselt and Itami. Hence, it continually celebrates Japanese culture.

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 with all the colors of spring and there is still more to come.

By the end of the month, we’ll have visited the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken and the Hallerbos forest. April might be on a good path of becoming my favorite month!