Murin-an Periodical

This is the information program of Murin-an Garden.
It provides information on Japanese gardens, invitations to events that help foster the garden and seasonal highlights.
The name of this periodical is Sara-Sara News.
What does “sara-sara” mean? In Japanese, this word is used to evoke a gentle rustle or murmuring sound in nature. We have adopted it from a passage in a poem by Yamagata Aritomo, Murin-an’s original owner. It reads
At the end of a water stream/That murmurs gently as it travels hidden beneath the shade of trees/I see a fish leap
We chose this publication’s title to reflect our hope that, like the ceaseless flow of the murmuring brook flowing around Murin-an, the encounters here will produce a current toward nurturing Japanese gardens for the future.

Gardener’s View

Hello! This is Kenta Deguchi, Murin-an’s head gardener. Here’s a picture of our preparations to light up the garden. Because Murin-an is a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty, it wouldn’t be good to dig up the ground and clear trees to put in new lighting. Nevertheless, to respond to the tastes of guests today and convey the value of a Place of Scenic Beauty garden, evening use of the garden is essential. That’s why at Murin-an I always install lights by hand. When the event is over, lights are removed and the garden returns to its original form. The lighting is designed by LEM Space Factory to draw out the unique beauty that only Murin-an has. Come enjoy illumination that is firmly rooted in Murin-an’s value as a Place of Scenic Beauty and a night in a garden woven together by the care its gardeners give it everyday.

To be or not to be! Choose to become a garden lover!

Learn here about Japanese culture and real gardens.

Being able to talk about Japanese gardens is so cool. That’s because they have condensed in them all the points you need to talk about Japanese culture. For example, things like borrowed scenery and the spatial design of depth using elevation difference. Or using the thickness and thinness of pruning to create a broader feeling of space, and constructing spaces not from ideas on a ground plan, but on a human scale using the eye level of the people actually standing in the garden.
When you come to Murin-an, you can hear a free 10-minute explanation of how to appreciate a garden. Just inquire at the ticket counter.
Using the garden unfolding before your very eyes, Murin-an, we explain key points that can also be used when enjoying other Japanese gardens. This is your chance to learn and become able to discuss Japanese gardens! In the next room, we also have a café with a 180-degree view of the garden. What’s a garden? It is change itself. On a clear day, a snowy day, or especially on a rainy day. Compare these changes to one another, and make them your own. And on the 28th of every month, entry is free for everyone age 35 or younger. Come on over.

●Every day and for irregular events ●English language explanations offered every Monday and Friday, 1:00-5:00 PM (subject to sudden cancellation)　●No reservations necessary　●Fee: Free (separate entry fee is required)
●Place: Main House, first floor, in the 8-tatami mat space

“We put a kettle on for zaifu tea” Matcha tea in the garden.

Every Tuesday, we put on a kettle for a casual tea ceremony. 1,000 yen. As the article on our 10-minute explanations of Murin-an said, a garden is a series of changes. Or rather, it might be better to say that a garden is change itself. The quickest way to feel this is by “taking some time to look.” Before you pass someplace by, stop. You can always feel how the sun rays change at each moment or how swiftly the look of the stream and borrowed scenery is changing. It’s more dramatic than you can imagine. Even our staff is surprised by it every day. Look at those changes by stopping for a casual tea ceremony. That’s the idea behind this project. Feel free to drop in.

●Every Tuesday, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM　●No reservations necessary.
●Fee: 1,000 yen (separate entry fee required)　●Place: Main House, first floor