I’m around Van Nuys sometimes when I volunteer at Best Friends Animal Society in Mission Hills. I actually came here right before my QUEST on Van Nuys Boulevard to relax and read a book before I took on hours of walking.
If you’re looking for a Japanese garden to meditate, relax and center your thoughts, you must make your way to THE Japanese Garden in Van Nuys. It’s the largest one I’ve been to in LA. You can find other gardens in Pasadena, at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center and at the VA Hospital near The Getty. But none of those even compares to this one. Incredible massive, gorgeous landscape architecture, very well taken care of, super cheap to enter ($5 donation), and good to go in the summer or winter. There’s plenty of shaded areas as well as greenery to sit on. They have many beautiful creatures living there, some I can’t even name. It’s really worth the drive up here.
It is located right next to the Donald C Tillman Water Reclamation Plant so you can take actually take a look at that at the end of the garden’s pathway. Make your way up the stairs by the concrete building. There’s an amazing view of the garden from up there, which is where I got the panorama shot below!
