Sitting in the middle of the Snake River in this eastern Idaho community is a small but pleasant Japanese Friendship Garden, which adjoins the city’s Greenbelt trail system.
The Friendship Garden’s island location is historically importance as it was here the first bridge to span the Snake River in Eastern Idaho was constructed. Pedestrian foot bridges now lead to the island and its Friendship Garden.
(Marker of the first bridge built across the eastern Snake River)
The Friendship Garden was created to celebrate thirty years of association with its Japanese sister city, Tokai-Mura. It has many aspects of a typical Japanese Garden: water features, a viewing platform, and a large Japanese lantern given to the city by Tokai-Mura.
(Japanese lantern)
The features in the garden were built by volunteers who donated many hours of time to its construction and maintenance. The garden is open year ’round, 24/7. Be forewarned that it can be very cold here in the winter.
While it is not a large garden, it is pleasant to walk around and meditate in. Its location in the middle of a major river is unusual.
As I was about to leave, I spotted a marmot scurrying among the brush on the island. Folks on the east coast would likely call him a ground hog.
