Yume Japanese Gardens is the living expression of an ancient Japanese heritage. Covering three quarters of an acre in Tucson, Arizona, it comprises five traditional visions of landscape. In each, nature is balanced by the human hand to render the spare elegance and subtle spirit of an authentic Japanese garden. Yume means “dream” in Japanese, and as in a dream, the gardens conduct visitors through
metaphors that summon the creative force of centuries of Japanese culture. Revealing pathways and layered plantings offer intimate courtyard views of classical Japanese imagery. A Zen contemplative garden, a stone and gravel garden representing sea and islands, a grass garden, and a tranquil strolling pond garden provide further examples of Japanese garden styles. Each garden is a place to be at one with nature and with one’s self. One of the first things to catch the eye at Yume Japanese Gardens is its newness. Trees and plants are young, rarely more than several years old. Stones, lanterns, and water basins have yet to acquire the patina of age. Yet the Gardens are maturing. More than that, they are constantly changing. Plantings are slowly adapting to the hot and dry environment of the desert Southwest. Meticulously pruned trees and shrubs are growing into their natural forms in a way to create space, harmony, and movement. The clay walls and wooden shingles of viewing shelters hand-built to time-honored Japanese designs are slowly weathering. Sand and gravel assume new patterns each time they are raked. Visitors find themselves walking through a gently evolving environment each time they come to the Gardens.
