A Japanese Garden and Tea House: A Tranquil Corner of Central Munich

A Japanese Garden and Tea House: A Tranquil Corner of Central Munich

By  Saturday, 14.3.2015, 18:18    Tourist Sites

You don't have to be in Munich very long to understand the importance and the magic of the Englischer Garten in the lives of the locals. Here in a city of 1.4 million people is a fabulous green space with a large river, various lakes and lots of natural beauty to enjoy, just a couple of minutes on foot from the busy centre. With cycling lanes aplenty, it is a wonderful place to escape city life on foot or by bike.

And as soon as the sun comes out, locals need little excuse... 

And while the Englischer Garten is full of wide open spaces, it does have the odd surprise in store for people looking to explore.

Its very own Japanese Garden, with regular Japanese tea ceremonies, for example.  

I became a convert to Japanese gardens in my time in Hiroshima, and the Golden Pavillion in Kyoto remains the most tranquil place I have experienced on this planet to date. The Munich garden and tea house was closed this early March, but I am looking forward to returning later in the summer to enjoy it in its full majesty.  

The Japanese tea house in Munich dates back to 1972, when it was gifted to Munich by the city of Sapporo an the Japanese Urasenke Foundation, as a sign of peace and friendship on the occasion of the Munich Olympic Games. Sapporo hosted the Winter Olympics in the same year, and this was the connection between the two cities. 

The Japanese tea ceremony is performed every second weekend from April to October, on Saturdays and Sundays at 14:00, 15:00, 16:00 and 17:00. A fascinating introduction into the culture of Japanese tea drinking, which is such an important part of their culture. 

The interior of the tea house itself comprises a small waiting room, as well as the tearoom, and there are mats, sliding doors and scrolls of Japanese writing. 

An altogether very tranquil part of Munich, surrounded by lots of tranquil Munich, just a few metres behind Haus der Kunst.

Königinstraße 4, 80539 Munich. Tel - 089-224319 

If you happen to be in Munich on the third Sunday in July, there is the annual Japanfest, open to all, an event organised by the German-Japanese Society Bavaria and the Japanese Consul in Munich.

A delightful place, even out of season.  

 

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Paul Bradbury

After 12 years living on the most gorgeous island in the world, Hvar in Dalmatia, I have begun to wonder if there is still life beyond its shores. Prior to discovering Paradise in 2002, I was a world traveller, living and working in Japan, Georgia, Somalia, Rwanda, Russia... and Munich.

After 95 countries and some 25 years have passed, the memories of my year in the hotel industry in the Bavarian capital (fired by the Sheraton for losing our pet snake, the first male chambermaid at Hotel Arabella, and a truly eye-watering introduction to five-star living in  my days as a bellboy in luxury Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten) are strong, and the call of Munich has been a constant theme over the last quarter century. 

And so here I am, answering the call some 25 years later. Twelve years of island living have changed me for sure, but also left me curious about life in a big city, and whether or not I could adapt to it after such an insular decade. 

I was surprised to see that for such a magnificent multi-cultural city, English-language blogs and regularly updated information are not that available. Static tourism information, such as that provided by the excellent tourist board website yes, but accounts of daily life delivered daily? Hard to find.

And so I have decided to take a break from my idyllic island and see if I could live in a city again. And what better way to try than to discover modern Munich in all its facets after so many years. It is a journey of discovery which I am relishing, and I hope the site proves to be of interest for Munich residents and its numerous visitors.

About Paul Bradbury

Author of Lebanese Nuns Don't Ski, Lavender, Dormice and a Donkey Named Mercedes and Hvar's first comprehensive guidebook, Hvar: An Insider's Guide to Croatia's Premier Island, as well as co-author of Split: An Insider's Guide with Mila Hvilshoj, I have lived in Dalmatia full time since 2003. In addition to running Total Munich, I also run Total Split (www.croatia-split.com), Total Hvar (www.total-hvar.com) and Total Inland Dalmatia (www.total-inland-dalmatia.com), as well as being an accredited Google News journalist for Digital Journal in Canada.

I also have various blogging clients, including the Central Dalmatia Tourist Board, European Coastal Airlines, Touristar TV and Andro Tomic Wines, and print clients include Qatar Airways inflight magazine, Out! magazine from New York, and Croatian Hotspots. 

In December 2014 I was delighted to receive the Marko Polo 2014 Award from FIJET Croatia (Federation of International Travel Writers and Journalists)  at a ceremony for the Croatian Journalists Society for the best international tourism promotion of Croatia. More here.

Ongoing writing projects:

A History of Hajduk Split, co-author with Frane Grgurevic - in 2015

Around the World in 80 Disasters - out in 2015

Total Hvar in the Media:

Interview of the Month, Croatian Embassy in Washington (May 2013)

Special Feature in Globus Magazine (May 2013)

Featured on Croatian TV show, More (2012) - watch the report here

Interviews in Slobodna Dalmacija, Dalmacijanews, Radio Split

I am available for writing services. Please contact me on [email protected] or visit my main writing website, www.bossandblogger.com 

Website: total-hvar.com Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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