About the Gardens
Blevins Japanese Garden (Shōmu-en)
The Blevins Japanese Garden (Shōmu-en) was originally designed by David Harris Engel in the 1970s and updated by architect Sadafumi Uchiyama in 2019. The garden guides visitors on a meditative journey to an idyllic image of a mountain retreat. Engel named the garden “Shōmu-en,” which translates to “pine-mist forest.” This garden transcends cultures by connecting Eastern garden design with the native Tennessee landscape. Looking out from the pavilion, visitors see a highly composed panorama, the meeting of ocean and mountains. The dry body of water is made of raked gravel and large rock formations, implying calm water.
Robinson Family Water Garden
The Blevins Japanese Garden (Shōmu-en) was originally designed by David Harris Engel in the 1970s and updated by architect Sadafumi Uchiyama in 2019. The garden guides visitors on a meditative journey to an idyllic image of a mountain retreat. Engel named the garden “Shōmu-en,” which translates to “pine-mist forest.” This garden transcends cultures by connecting Eastern garden design with the native Tennessee landscape. Looking out from the pavilion, visitors see a highly composed panorama, the meeting of ocean and mountains. The dry body of water is made of raked gravel and large rock formations, implying calm water.
About Walk Two
Walk Two will activate your recognition of possibilities over problem-solving by igniting curiosity and giving you the steps to learn more about your emotions before believing them. It’s a tool for taking the negative feelings of stress and anxiety and turning them into a positive opportunity for growth.2 You may also find it’s much more fun to be curious! This walk can be beneficial with a friend in addition to on your own.
Remember to allow yourself at least 10 minutes at the beginning of each walk to become present. Consider the sights, sounds, textures, and scents around you.
You can reach the Blevins Japanese Garden by continuing past Botanic Hall and turning left into the Bradford Robertson Color Garden. This path will guide you under an archway that leads to a round plaza with two inviting rabbits. Pass the rabbits and continue below the arches until the path branches to the left. Follow it, and you will see steps leading downward, which is the east entrance to the Japanese Garden.
Each stop on Walk Two is marked by a blue circle on the path with the first found in the Viewing Pavilion.
Before you begin:
Stand still and take a deep breath.
In and out.
Take note of how your body is feeling.
As you walk:
Bring attention to the movements and sensations in your body. Notice how your hips and shoulders move, your steps firm on the ground, how your chest rises and falls with each breath, gently and assuredly.
Celeste Kidd, Benjamin Y. Hayden. The Psychology and Neuroscience of Curiosity, Neuron, Volume 88, Issue 3, Pages 449-460, ISSN 0896-6273 (2015) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2015.09.010. 2
Prompts
Each stop on Walk Two is marked by a blue circle on the path.
Stop One: Slow Down
Stop One is found in the Blevins Japanese Garden Viewing Pavilion. Pause for a moment and let yourself think. It doesn’t have to be about anything in particular. Your thoughts could be on the rock bed and plants before your eyes, a past experience, a future experience, or another person’s thoughts and experiences. The possibilities are endless. There is time. Be intentional. Let your emotions wait just a moment and simply think. If your mind keeps gravitating to a specific area, then carry it with you as you walk. When you’re ready, continue on your journey.
Stop Two can be found by taking the gravel path to the right of the Viewing Pavilion and traveling up through the bamboo shoots. Near the top, turn right, staying on the gravel path.
Stop Two: Start to Wonder
At Stop Two, you are planted opposite the Viewing Pavilion, as if switching positions with your mirror-image or a friend across the table from you. Look back on your thoughts and readdress them as questions. A simple phrase beginning with, “I wonder…” could bring you anywhere. Wondering who, what, when, where, and how are the easiest questions to ask and open the doors to so many more. Write down as many questions as you can think of and try to be specific. When you’re ready, continue on your journey.
Stop Three can be found at the Russell W. Bates Water Garden Picnic Area. Exit the Japanese Garden and turn towards the ponds and the area with picnic tables.
Stop Three: Seek Answers
Now that the questions are flowing, take a moment in the Russell W. Bates Water Garden Picnic Area, to focus on the ones that interest you the most. Think on what you already know about the subject. Where can you find answers to the things you don’t yet know? People, libraries, the internet, or museums? What sources do you trust? An answer may not be as straightforward as it appears and should be approached with careful consideration before full commitment. When you’re ready, continue on your journey.
Stop Four is found at the base of the hill just below the Mansion. From the picnic area, make your way to the main road that goes through Cheekwood.
Stop Four: Speak Less
The closing stop in curiosity is found at the base of the hill going up to the Mansion, a little nook found beside the flowing brook. Much of this walk has likely been done in silence, listening to your thoughts as they pass by. An easy task when you set time aside, but more difficult when you pursue answers amid everyday life. You may find that the emotions stirred up along your walk continued to shift as you developed new thoughts on each topic. If you had jumped to react before exploring them, your response could have been very different from what was needed. Use this time to strengthen the skill of speaking less and take note of your changes in perspective.
Take three deep breaths. Each one deeper than the last.
Sit in gratitude, forgiveness, and assurance.
Think on these things as you reach the end of Walk Two.
“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” —John Muir