The beauty of the "garden of water and fragrance" (Suiho En) creates for the visitor a world of meditative calm where it is possible to focus on the simple and beautiful things in nature, and our lives.

~ The Japanese Garden
Suiho En the garden of water and fragrance is a 6½ acre authentic Japanese garden fashioned after “stroll gardens” constructed during the 18th and 19th centuries for Japanese Feudal lords. Our facility is unique in that it incorporates three classical designs: a dry karensansui, a wet garden with promenade chisen, and an authentic tea ceremony garden incorporating a 4.5 tatami mat tea room.

~ DOCTOR KOICHI KAWANA -The Garden Creator
Dr. Kawana designed more than one dozen major Japanese gardens in the United States, including botanical gardens at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, San Diego's Balboa Park and gardens in Denver, Chicago, Memphis, Minneapolis, and the largest Japanese garden in the United States - the 14 acre garden in St. Louis. He pioneered the design of traditional Japanese gardens which utilized plants native to the area of the garden.

A native of Hokkaido, Japan, Dr. Kawana was listed in Who's Who in America, the Dictionary of International Biography, and Who's Who in Art, among others. Awards include Progressive Architecture's Design Award for design of this garden; the Victor M. Carter Diamond Award, the highest honor of the Japan America Society of Southern California; the Companionate of Merit in Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem in Edinburgh; and the Gold Medal from Academia Italia della Arti de del Lavoro. National Geographic Magazine featured Dr. Kawana's St. Louis garden in its August, 1990, issue.

Dr. Kawana died in September, 1990, at age 60. Professional associates recall him as a "renaissance man," a garden designer, architect and artist whose paintings are now collectors' items - writer, poet, collector of fine art and teacher. He taught ikebana informally—Japanese architecture and landscape design at UCLA, formally. One associate wrote, "He taught me about the art of gardening and human grace."

~ Location
The Japanese Garden shares the address of the Tillman Reclamation plant with an entrance on the east side of Woodley Avenue in Van Nuys. Access to both the San Diego (405) and Ventura (101) freeways is close by and convenient and ample free parking adjacent to the entrance of the garden is provided for visitors.