In keeping with a change of seasons, Japanese maples at the San Antonio Botanical Garden are turning ruby red. And in the spirit of friendship, crews from two nations are bringing new life to the Kumamoto Garden.

The garden, dedicated in 1989 under a sister-city pact signed by San Antonio and Kumamoto, Japan, is being renovated.

Unlike U.S. gardens that are symmetrical and often filled with eye-catching flowers, Japanese gardens are considered sacred and meant to replicate nature, with an unplanned look, random paths and tranquil feel.

"You're supposed to have a peaceful mind when you come here," Hiroo Yoshimoto, assistant director of parks in Kumamoto and leader of a six-member team of Japanese craftsmen and landscape specialists, said through an interpreter.

When the city donated an 1800s-style Texas log cabin to Kumamoto in 1994, Yoshimoto helped build it there.

But while the cabin has stayed in good condition, heat and rain here have weakened the wooden fencing and azumaya, or tea pavilion, in San Antonio.

The San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department, which runs the Botanical Garden, is using treated bamboo, chestnut and cypress wood from Japan, as well as Japanese construction, with intricately carved pieces of lumber that fit perfectly together.

"It's like a puzzle," Yoshimoto said of the pavilion, designed by renowned architect Kiyoshi Yasui and built using the classic, nails-free Japanese construction method.

Workers are racing to finish the garden, which covers an eighth of an acre, for a Nov. 19 rededication. The mayor of Kumamoto and a 20-member Japanese delegation are expected to attend.

The garden, built at around $250,000, will cost at least $100,000 to repair — an amount the two cities are splitting.

The city has had problems getting bamboo and lumber shipped from Japan, but has had few issues with language barriers since the Japanese crew began work Oct. 29, said Paul Cox, acting Botanical Garden superintendent.

Many of the garden's 70-plus elements are symbolic. Two small hills represent Mount Fiji and Mount Aso in Japan. Smaller mounds signify the Texas Hill Country. Two bridges over a stream stand for the two cities' bond.

The Japanese crew is also trimming and planting makis, Japanese pines and flowering cherry trees that stand alongside native Texas live oaks. Though the garden has seco palms, dwarf mondo grass and other plants common to Texas, "the idea is just the Zen situation," emphasizing introspection and intuition, Cox said.

A bronze marker by the garden notes: "Both cities hope for eternal peace and continuing friendship."

With that in mind, the new lumber, unlike the old wood, is being treated with sealant. And the crews from two nations have worked well together.

"It's been a really good team effort," Cox said.

For more details on the Kumamoto En, see http://www.japanesegardening.org/kumamotoen/

Link to Express News