Aunt Anna is (almost) travelling to Japan - the Japanese garden in Hasselt, Belgium

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Writer: Anna Nilsson Spets

No, I have never been to Japan and probably never will, if only to see the snow monkeys.

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However, I do find Japanese culture interesting and am quite up to date on bonsais, origami and ikebana, that's about it.

In Hasselt they drink not only enjoying and munching speculaas, there is a Japanese park too, that's the one we went to, the old man and I.

It's just at the beginning of the flowering season and I can say that we were not alone there ...

The time for viewing cherry blossoms is called Hanami and means just that, viewing flowers.

The cherry blossom symbolises short and fleeting life, which is fitting, as the trees do not flower for very long. It is also the national flower of Japan.

In the Japanese garden, sakuras (cherry blossoms) have just begun to bloom, which are different varieties of ornamental cherries in white to dark pink.

In the wind, the petals flutter away like little butterfly wings and settle like snowflakes on the ground or float away on the water.

Many people come here for photo shoots, others for a moment of meditation.

The surfaces are not covered by grass, it is just moss, soft hills that change in yellow-green scale.

There are waterfalls and footbridges, small streams that meander through the park, in the water there are mega-sized koi carp pairs.

The Japanese eat a lot of fish, but koi are bred solely for their aesthetic beauty. There are even koi collectors, and a truly beautiful koi can cost up to a million dollars! This symbolic fish represents courage, perseverance, bravery and love.

We sit down and have coffee, unfortunately there is no café here but for the day a Japanese food truck was set up where you could buy tea of course but also Japanese cakes, dorayaki which is like a double round little pancake filled with azuki bean paste. Thankfully there was coffee !

From a corner, the gong Waniguchi, the peace bell, sounds.

Opposite is the small prayer house, a sign shows how to greet before you step forward.

In the prayer house there are a couple of plates and beautiful origami birds. I remember from my childhood how we folded origami, which is an ancient tradition. The most common origami figure is the crane.

There are of course other trees to look at, magnolias and camellias are in full bloom and the Japanese maples have begun to show their delicate light green leaves that shimmer in the sun.

The Japanese Garden in Hasselt is open all year round, at different times of the year there are various events such as a Japanese dog breed weekend and chrysanthemum festival. Some weekends offer workshops such as sake tasting and crafts.

Hasselt also boasts Europe's largest Japanese garden, so if you're in the neighbourhood it's worth a visit.

For updates and information: Visit Hasselt: Japanese Garden

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Anna Nilsson Spets

60+ year old lady with a lifelong love for Africa. Emigrated to Flanders in Belgium and works with plants on a daily basis. Writes, takes photos and tries to inspire others to budget travel on their own. Blogs on "Anna's mix" about travelling, work, plants, writing and much more.

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