2022 Japan House Illinois - Traditional Japanese Arts & Culture Accessible to EveryoneNEW

Japan House was founded in the 1960s as a place to teach traditional Japanese tea ceremonies and other aspects of Japanese culture. With a permanent facility built in 1998, Japan House has grown to be place of both peace and vital activity. Our Japanese gardens provide an opportunity for all to seek a place of tranquility and our varied programs teach all the incredible range and beauty of Japanese arts and culture. Programs are for both the University and public communities

The gardens of Japan House remain free and open to the public at this time.

Looking For Somthing To Do?
The gardens are free and open to the public from dawn to dusk, spring through fall. You are always welcome to walk through the gardens on your own. For safety reasons, the tea garden with its rocky path is closed during the winter.

Traditional Japanese gardens surround Japan House. These gardens are very different than Western gardens, with a focus on the natural landscape, utilizing plants, rustic stone, and water. Instead of bright color and symmetry, these gardens focus on green foliage and natural shapes of plants. The design of the gardens creates an extraordinarily peaceful and tranquil environment.

Tea Garden
The present-day Japanese Tea Garden has a history dating back to the sixteenth century and the great developer and teacher of the tea ceremony, Sen-no-Rikyu (1522-91). Before then, Japanese gardens were not so much for walking but more for viewing from nearby buildings or from boats on the garden ponds (Heian period 794-1185, and later). The Tea Garden established a number of elements such as lanterns, stepping stones, bamboo fences, and water basins which were an enormous influence on Japanese landscaping to follow, especially in the expansive Stroll Garden (Kayushiki) style built by the regional rulers (Daimyo) for their pleasure and as evidence of their importance.

Dry Garden
When Westerners think of Japanese gardens, it is usually only one garden that comes to mind, an area of raked sand or crushed rock interspersed with a few large rocks and a scarcity of plants, or none at all. To Westerners, it is thought of as contemplative, mysterious, or unexplainable. The Dry (Karesansui) Garden (often erroneously called Zen) is a garden that does not fit the Westerner’s mind of a garden.

Joining a Tea Ceremony
Join us for a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Chado, or the Way of Tea, is one of the most ancient and revered arts of Japan. During the ceremony you will be served a bowl of matcha tea and a Japanese sweet.

About
The Tomonokai (Friends of Japan House) program was established in 1998 to support Japan House programming and events and promoting an understanding of Japanese Arts and Culture.

The Tomonokai has grown to become a vibrant community of friends. When you become a Tomonokai members you not only support Japan House's programming, you are also joining others who care about Japanese arts and culture, and who believe in the power of these arts and aesthetics to bring about moments of peace and friendship and joyful learning.

One hundred percent of Japan House outreach programming is funded by private gifts. The tours, tea ceremonies, open houses, public classes, workshops, and more - all are possible only because of private donations.