The Japanese Garden
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The Japanese Garden 6.5 acres (26,000 m²) is located on the grounds of the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant at 6100 Woodley Avenue, Van Nuys, California, USA, in the midst of the San Fernando Valley. It was designed by Dr. Koichi Kawana and constructed between 1980 and 1983, with formal dedication on June 18, 1984. The Garden has been ranked tenth out of 300 public Japanese gardens in the United States by the Journal of Japanese Gardening.
As one first enters the Garden, one walks through a dry Zen meditation garden (Karesansui) containing a large grass-covered mound, representing Tortoise Island, a symbol of longevity, and a Three Buddhas arrangement of stones. Next comes an expansive chisen, or "wet strolling" garden with waterfalls, lakes, greenery, and stone lanterns. At path's end is the Shoin Building with an authentic 4-1/2 tatami (7 m²) tea house and adjacent tea garden.
The garden can be rented for a wedding ceremony and has been rented to Hollywood projects such as Star Trek: The Next Generation where it stood for various planets and Starfleet locations on Earth.
