Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden — Attraction in Long Beach

Japanese gardens have been around for centuries. They have been, and continue to be the source of inspiration for poets, writers, painters, sculptors and the general public. The Japanese garden is closely linked to the Japanese tea ceremony. Their idea is to awaken the spirit to the realization of our humility in our relationship with the world and the universe around us. It emphasizes the connection between the body’s movements and the mind. It was during the Heian period (794-1185) that gardens came to be viewed in this way. They separated from a solely religious purpose and began to include more secular motives such as the tea ceremony, amusement, contemplation and recreation. The Japanese garden takes several forms. The one most recognizable to me is the one which includes guided paths and water features that serve to guide a visitor. There are also dry gardens where racked sand is used to represent ripples on the surface of water. A typical garden has a center, or viewing point. This is usually a home or a place where tea ceremonies are held with a purposeful view of the garden. A typical list of some possible features in a Japanese garden might contain:  Water, whether real or symbolized.  A bridge spanning the water or stepping stones to allow crossing the water feature.  A hedge, fence or a wall.  A central viewing point or pavilion. The hedge feature is used to block out an unwanted view or to use some distant feature, such as a mountain, visible above the hedge, implying it is part of the garden by design. This adds to the sense of enclosure and vastness at the same time. I visited the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden located at Cal State Long Beach. This public garden, unlike private ones, includes a wide variety of environments. The most obvious is the pond you come upon when you enter. It contains islands, water plants and rock features. It is crossed by an arching bridge and Koi, orange and white in an almost Pinto pattern, swim in large schools. The paths winds in and out of several different settings, each designed to set a different mood. A one point the path was broken and I had to look down and watch my footing. When I looked up again I saw a stand of bamboo partially concealing a small waterfall. I later learned the broken path was intended by design to take my eyes off the surroundings so that I could be rewarded by the water feature when I looked up again. It worked, I felt rewarded. Maybe not in that exact wording but I did feel suddenly glad...

No food or drinks are allowed. Unfortunately, the Garden is not able to accommodate picnic lunches. Only service animals are allowed into the Garden. Running is prohibited. Only feed the fish with food provided by the Garden. Koi food is available at certain times of the day. See our schedule for more details. No dumping of animals of any kind into the pond (i.e. fish, turtles, etc.) Do not throw anything into, or attempt to retrieve something from, the pond. If you drop something in, let the Garden staff know and they will retrieve it for you. Bikes are not allowed inside the garden. Please leave your bike with staff in the courtyard. All forms of smoking are prohibited. Please stay on the pathways at all times. Please do not step over barriers, climb trees, enter waterfall areas, or step into the raked rock garden. Do not hang on to or hang anything off of branches. Do not pick parts off of any of our plants or trees. Noncommercial photography is permitted during public hours, but the usage of a tripod, props, light reflectors, or other large equipment is not. Please no professional photography without a photography permit, or advance approval from the garden director. No costumes, bridal dresses, gowns or traditional dressings of a country or culture are allowed in the Garden. While we respect the traditions of our guests, we do not want to detract from the experience for other guests. Sketching and watercolor painting are allowed if all art materials are on a protective sheet to avoid staining sidewalks and benches. No oil...

To the lady that introduced yourself as the boss at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden. We weren’t sure if you were having a bad day and decided to ruin other people beautiful day with your bad manners or it’s just the way you are. You knew that you were standing right behind us while we were taking the picture but just wanted to stand there. We asked you to walk past us but you did not want to and kept getting closer and right behind us with the purpose of ruining our picture. Your attitude is very annoying but we were ok with that until you approached us saying that you are the boss there and we can’t take pictures. Are you serious that pictures are not allowed at the garden? It’s very sad if your statement is true as the garden is too beautiful for not allowing visitors to capture the beautiful garden, landscaping and memory. If picture is not allowed, you should have the sign there and mention it on the website. You have left a very bad image not only to us but to the tourist couples come from Europe who were taking the picture for us. The couples witnessed what has happened and ask us “ who is that lady? Why she is so meant? “ You were very rude and unprofessional. Did you get any management training before getting promoted to be the manager? You are definitely lack of management skills and human interaction. I hope everyone comes to the garden would not have to experience what we experienced today. I asked the staffs there what the name of the boss is and being told that the boss...