Japanese garden in Hasselt, Belgium : )

This is Europe's biggest Japanese garden, originally gifted to the city of Hasselt in Belgium by the city of Itami in Japan. This is a heritage site celebrating Japanese culture, tourism, and year-round events such as calligraphy writing or embroidery classes.

The first thing I noticed here is the painstakingly crafted water channel that runs in between green patches of shrubs and trees in the garden. There are koi fish which are fearless and curious, much like pigeons in the fish world, and their skin glistens along with the water reflections in tree canopies and waterfall rock formations.

The track to walk goes up and down some memorable spots such as the Japanese cafeteria where I tried my first delicious onigiri and then towards a museum of residence and architecture. In between all the captivating sights, I could hear the peace gong in the air, which elevates the experience akin to actually being in Japan.

The garden describes Hasselt and Itami as sister cities as they signed a friendship charter in 1985 to collaborate on business and cultural exchanges. This garden was itself an exchange for a carillon tower that is known today as Flanders Bell in Itami.

Since Itami itself has a rich history, including the discovery of sake, this garden does justice in representing the many values and features of Japanese culture across the maintained space, making the garden well worth a visit.

If the natural calm of this garden doesn't appease you, your eyes can feast on nearby streams or birdhouses and bees that flit in and out of sight over the designated walkways. The canopy above your head with every shade of green is another scene to behold and then some! Then you also get reminded of the pigeons of the ocean getting bothered by ducks swimming over them in search of food, and if you are lucky, you'll spot a friendly fight or two between them. And by the time you leave, nobody'll judge you if you're craving sushi for lunch—it's all by design in Hasselt.

If you have an afternoon to spare, consider coming along to visit the Japanese garden in Hasselt, 10/10 experience! It is well planned, clean, and scenic at every turn and walkway. Perhaps the koi fish going "op op" will convince you to stay and admire the garden, if not the painstakingly maintained plant life from Japan itself!

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