Ro Ho En – Phoenix’s very own slice of Kyoto in the desert! 🌸🌵

📅 Shot at dawn on 4 Nov 2021, when the first gold light spilled across koi ponds like liquid sunrise 🌅💕. Back-story magic: Phoenix & Japan’s Himeji are sister cities, and because Himeji Castle is nicknamed “White Heron Castle,” the garden’s name blends “Egret (Ro) + Phoenix (Ho) + Garden (En)” = Ro Ho En 🦅🌿. Wander in and—bam—time-zone jump: 3.5 acres of zig-zag bridges, hand-raked gravel waves, and maple leaves that glow neon red even in Arizona heat 🍁🤯. Koi flash orange-white under lily pads like living origami 🐟🌿. Fun personal ripple: I first set foot in Himeji Castle & Koko-en on 17 Jan 2016; half a decade later I finally complete the circle by greeting its Phoenix twin. Same serenity, different continent—proof that friendship can be landscaped 🌏💞. Tip: go early, sip complimentary green tea, and let the only soundtrack be koi splashes and desert breeze whispering through bamboo 🍃🎋. #Phoenix #JapaneseGarden #ArizonaOasis