Tucked inside West Fairmount Park, Shofuso Japanese House and Garden is one of Philadelphia’s most peaceful and beautiful places to visit. This traditional Japanese house was built in Japan in 1953 using age-old techniques and materials, then shipped to the United States as a gift of friendship from the Japanese people. It found its permanent home in Philadelphia in 1958, on the site of a Japanese garden that had welcomed visitors since the 1876 Centennial Exposition.
Step through the gate and the city seems to melt away. A serene pond filled with koi reflects a viewing pavilion, while carefully pruned pines, a tea garden and stone lanterns lead the eye along quiet paths. Inside the house, hand-painted fusuma panels, a tea house and an earthen-floored kitchen show the grace of 17th-century Japanese domestic architecture.
Today Shofuso is cared for by the nonprofit Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia, which keeps the garden blooming through the seasons, from cherry blossoms in spring to fiery maples in fall. Whether you come to feed the koi, sip in the calm or simply breathe, Shofuso is a gentle reminder that Philadelphia’s happiest corners are sometimes its quietest.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
