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| - Openly hidden in the middle of Downtown Phoenix, the Japanese Friendship Gardens gives Phoenicians a little taste of cultural in the desert. Here it costs $5 to get in and with that $5 admission fee, you will enter a secret garden that is easily passed by thousands of times a day without anyone realizing it's there. Now for those of you who have been to Japanese Gardens in let's say, San Francisco or Portland, this doesn't even come close in comparison. However, the fact that we have one at all deserves a round of applause.
This garden is small. You can easily walk through it in 10 minutes. It's filled with ponds, water falls, koi fish, trees and greenery. If you come here and want to take time to enjoy the setting, I encourage you to bring a picnic and set up shop on one of the many benches situated throughout the park. During your picnic you will enjoy a tranquil beauty and escape the hustle and bustle of Phoenix life. I encourage you to come here if you are ever in the area. It might be small and you might be in and out in 10-15 minutes, but I think anyone who lives in Phoenix should go at least once. Plus, there's a great coffee shop down the street (Fair Trade) and several other museums and attractions near by (Arizona Puppet Theater is across the street and the Phoenix Art Museum and Herd Museum are a few blocks north).
During my visit, I witnessed a wedding taking place; an intimate wedding set against the backdrop of the trees and koi pond. It was a perfect location for pictures and a very calm and romantic setting. Based on the size of this garden, I assume you could have a large or small wedding quite easily.
So next time you have a spare hour during lunch or need a break on a Saturday, remember that the Japanese Friendship Garden is waiting for your visit.
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