9. Boat Landing

At the shore of the lake is a boat landing made of hand-hewn granite blocks. Adjacent to the landing is a black pebble beach.

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10. Ginkgo Trees

These are one of the oldest living species of trees. The golden leaves have been found as fossils with dinosaur bones. The fan-shaped leaves are placed in books to protect them from insects. Ginkgo nuts are used in Japan for some menu preparation and also for medicinal purposes - claimed to reverse the aging process.

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11. The Heavenly Floating Bridge

The view from this bridge represents one of the three most scenic spots in Japan where the people ascend a hill overlooking the Sea of Japan, stand on a stone and look at this view of the Heavenly Floating Bridge. The actual view is a spit of land in the Sea of Japan with pine trees growing throughout. When the scene is viewed upside down, it looks like the trees are floating in the heavens.

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12. Tea Garden and Tea House

The garden within the bamboo hedge known as roji is typical of a tea garden. The planting is casual and informal and is meant to depict a natural mountain pass. Stepping stones are the main design element here since rofi means walk. Strong colors or large objects are absent since they might serve to distract one from concentrating on the tea ceremony. The "low water basin" or tsueubai and the bamboo water spout are accessories essential to the tea garden since guests are expected to purify their bodies and spirits prior to entering the teahouse. Entrance is gained through a small opening known as the nijiriguchi. One must literally crawl through the opening in order to evince the proper degree of humility. It is a house of peace and any weapons, such as a Samurai sword, must be left outside. This tea house is used on special occasions for the performance of authentic Japanese tea ceremonies.

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13. Shoin Building

Major architectural entities in the garden include the shoin building which projects over the lake and adjoins the teahouse. Shoin was the residential dwelling developed for aristocrats, upper class monks and samurai during the 14th and 15th centuries. The exterior of this building is authentically shoin style, but the interior has been modified to provide a place for meetings and special events. This room offers a panoramic view of the garden.

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14. Entrance Gate

North of the Shoin Building you will notice a large entry gate. This gate and the tile roofed wall or tsuiji are typical features of the entry to an aristocrat's residence. The roof of the gate is a combination of wood shingles and ichimonji tile. The wall is traditionally built of clay and covered with white finish.

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15. Waterfall Viewing Arbor

There is no separation between garden and architecture according to Japanese design concepts. Thus the arbors are an integral part of the garden. This arbor is of the Sukiya style. Arbors are places to rest, meditate, and view the garden. In the Waterfall Viewing Arbor, notice that the wall facing the garden has a window selecting a view of the garden.

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16. Waterfall

TThe waterfall is presented in the typical three-tier fashion: Upper "heaven", middle "man", and lower "earth". This waterfall is the main entry of water from the reclamation plant into the lake. About 3 million gallons of reclaimed water pass through the lake daily. Dr. Kawana personally set the waterfall stones.

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