Shinzen Friendship Garden Fresno

Dale Matson

Click On Photographs To Enlarge

297-acre Woodward Park in Fresno is one of the crown jewels of the city. It is well know throughout California especially because of state and regional cross-country running championships. I have run the trails here for decades and especially like the portion that follows the beautiful San Joaquin River with headwaters in the high Sierra Nevada mountains. It is the second longest river in California.

However, there is a lesser-known sanctuary within the park that even many Fresnans have not visited. During the winter season the Japanese Gardens is only open on weekends from 10am to 5pm and that is when I visited recently to view the spring colors and take some photographs. http://www.shinzenjapanesegarden.org/.

The gardens is often used as a wedding photograph backdrop and the day I was there, there was a professional photographer and his two assistants leading a new bride and groom around. The gardens is maintained entirely by volunteers.

Soon a new Bonsai exhibit will be added. “We are excited to share wonderful news with you. The Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture has transferred their extensive legacy bonsai collection to the Golden State Bonsai Federation (GSBF) for placement at the Shinzen Friendship Garden in Woodward Park, Fresno.”

There is a large Japanese American population in Fresno and Kochi Japan is one of six sister cities with Fresno. http://www.fresnosistercities.com/About_Us.html.

All of the photographs were taken with my Sony A7R and the native Sony Zeiss 55mm/f1.8 lens.

Philippians 4:8 (ESV) Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

The new bonsai exhibit can be found here in a more recent post.
http://midsierramusing.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-clark-bonsai-collection-at-shinzen.html