Inspiration Destination: Anderson Japanese Gardens, Rockford, IL

Years ago, I went on a study abroad trip where two of the stops were Kyoto and Tokyo, Japan. While there, I was able to venture through numerous gardens: some inside castle walls, some outside of shrines and famous monuments, and some just on the side of a neighborhood street. Needless to say, I was extremely excited to discover and visit the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, Il. I’m happy to say, I was not disappointed.

Here is a description from the website https://andersongardens.org: “Anderson Japanese Gardens is a beautiful, outdoor setting that inspires the mind and energizes the soul. Our twelve-acre landscape of streams, waterfalls, winding pathways, and koi-filled ponds has been rated one of North America’s highest quality Japanese gardens for more than a decade.”

It truly is beautiful and tranquil. The garden has many wooden and stone bridges and gated walls; meandering pathways; stone lanterns, statues, and monuments; ponds, streams, and waterfalls; a rock garden (often called a zen garden); wooden shelters and benches; various plants, foliage, and trees; etc. Literally, the makings of a Japanese garden. It even has a tea house within the garden (I believe it was more ornamental than functional, but a good touch nonetheless) and signs reminding visitors “Please do not step on the moss” (moss are plants too and easily overlooked). It really took me back to the days of walking through the gardens of Japan, absorbing the sights, smells, and sounds of nature and appreciating the care and arrangement of plants, water, and rocks.

We can’t forget about the koi fish! For $1, you can buy a bag of feed. It’s pretty interesting going to a quiet corner of a pond, throwing feed in and watching as koi swim from all corners of the pond towards the feed.

To my surprise, koi can swim pretty fast! I always pictured koi as only slowly gliding through water and not having the ability to quickly and quietly zip through it like a silent killer fish of nightmares (laughs). From afar, all I saw were fast swimming somethings that created v-shaped ripples as they swam. The koi were swimming close to the surface of the water, many with their dorsal fin exposed. If koi had stiff dorsal fins like sharks, they would have looked like sharks coming for the feed.

I was also amazed at the size of the koi at the Anderson Japanese Gardens. They are huge! The koi from the zoo do not even come close to the size of the koi here. I’m used to seeing koi that are smaller and shorter than the length of my forearm. The koi at the Anderson Japanese Gardens were big and as long as my arm, some even longer.

My favorites were the color palettes of the koi. I forget that koi do not only come in orange, white, and black. The koi at the garden came in a plethora of colors and patterns. My favorite koi was a blue, purple, navy fish with silver/white tipping the edge of every scale. It glittered in the water. I really wish I was able to get a good picture of this koi but alas, the woes that come with wild animal/aquatic photography and a camera phone …

Next time I visit, I would like to go on a day in spring/autumn or on a day that activities/performances are scheduled (you can view the events calendar on the website). Don’t get me wrong, the garden is still a wonderful place to see in mid-summer, but I think it would be even more stunning with the additional colors of spring flowers or the changing colors of autumn leaves. The mid-summer heat was also getting to me after a few hours in the sun (totally not the real reason).

Here are pictures of the garden during spring and autumn from the website:

I would have spent the whole day here if given the chance (there is a restaurant in the visitor center so one could spend a whole day here, just saying). I can’t wait to visit the Anderson Japanese Gardens again.

Melissa Lor