Opened to the public in 1969, the Isamu Taniguchi Japanese Garden was built by Isamu Taniguchi when he was seventy years old. Working without a salary or a contract, Taniguchi spent 18 months transforming 3 acres of rugged caliche hillside into a peaceful garden. As is often done in Japan, the ponds were designed in the shape of a word or ideogram. In this case, the ponds in the first half of the garden spell out “AUSTIN”, reflecting the fact that these gardens were constructed as a gift to the city. The remains of the Mother Tree, which inspired Taniguchi to complete his building of the garden, overlook the pond.
