Seven Facts You Didn’t Know About the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden
Introduction
The Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden is a popular tourist location at Long Beach, CA. It’s on the campus of California State University, Long Beach. Interestingly enough, CSULB students aren't the most popular guests. Many students usually go only if there is a class project that requires them to attend. Maybe they don’t go because it’s away from all the social areas where students go. This tourist spot usually attracts people that are visiting Long Beach or that are passing by from their vacation. This free living museum requires people to have a reservation to secure their spot and also so that they don’t show up on a closed day. The garden tends to be opened on Wednesdays to Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but that is information that can be found online. I’ll be telling you seven facts about the garden that I have acquired through my years of working there and giving tours.
Picture by me.
Why Is It Important?
The Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden was dedicated to Earl Burn Miller by his wife Loraine Miller in 1981, wow it feels like I’m giving a tour. Just recently we have been conducting surveys to see how the guests felt about the garden and they have all been positive reviews. There was one respondent that said the garden made them “feel at home”. The garden pulls from Japanese culture and a little bit of Buddhism. The Millers took many trips to Japan and were in love with the gardens, which led to the garden we have now. It’s a beautiful garden that everyone should visit if they ever get the chance.
The Odd Reasoning
If you have visited the garden you will have seen the waterfalls, temples, trees and all the living things. However, did you know there is a reason as to why there are an odd number of things? For example, there are three temples inside the garden and those temples have odd numbers of FIX. This is because odd numbers are associated with goodluck in Japanese culture and even numbers are associated with bad luck. The number four is associated with death so by all in Japanese culture they avoid things in quartets.
Koi Facts
There are many koi living in the garden. How many you may ask, well all I can say is a lot. The biggest fish isn’t the oldest. It is only seven years old, but according to the gardeners, it’s a different type of koi fish which is why it’s gigantic. Usually, the bigger the fish, the older it is. However, that is clearly not the case this time and the second largest fish is the oldest. This koi is approximately 25-years old. It’s older than me! The fishes are donated by people who either have too many koi or perhaps are moving and can’t take their koi with them. Most of these fishes come from donors in Japan. Koi are expensive! I wasn’t given an exact cost of how much the priceless koi at the garden would be because they’re donated and the gardeners don’t specialize in determining their value. However, they can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. At the garden it’s free to feed the koi, however the reservation books up pretty quickly because their food has to be limited.
Wild Wildlife
Of course the garden is a living museum and not just because of the plants and koi, but also because of little intruders. By this I refer to the predators of the garden such as the harrens, squirrels, ospreys and other animals. Guests are always shocked whenever a bird swoops down and catches a fish to munch on. Some may ask why don’t the gardeners dispose of the birds somehow, but these birds are protected by the state of California. Here is a link if you would like to learn more, https://www.fws.gov/law/migratory-bird-treaty-act-1918. It comes as no shock that there are squirrels in the garden, I mean where aren’t they? What might be shocking is that hawks hunt for the squirrels. If you ever attend the garden, you might see them eating something from their menu.
Picture by me.
Color Pop
In the sunny southern part of California, it’s hard to imagine a dull colorless time, but it does happen in its own way and the same goes for in the garden. However, no matter what season it is, there will always be a pop of color somewhere in the garden. The gardeners told me this was done purposely. During fall, the Chinese Flame Tree will bloom and even though these leaves throughout the garden will be falling, the Chinese Flame Tree will be flashing its bright orange colors. During winter, some leaves will grow white flowers, which give the illusion of snow falling. Colors are present and vibrant during summer and spring.
Picture by me.
Tea House Door
The tea house at the garden is often mistaken for an actual establishment that sells tea. While it’s not, it does have many interesting facts about it. The one I think that is the coolest is the door. The tea house door is located to its left side and is small. This is because when Samuri are about to enter to drink tea, they are required to take off all of their weapons. Then they’re supposed to lower themselves to enter the small door. This is because the tea house is simple and they need to be humbled before entering. It’s a peaceful place where no ego or pride is allowed. I need one of those doors for my room.
Black Pine Tree
The garden is beautiful and pricey. Of course I’m referring to the items inside such as the koi and the trees. The Japanese Black Pine Trees are incredibly expensive. The bigger they are, the pricer they will be. Near the Half Crescent Moon Bridge, the black pine tree that is there is nearly as old as World War II. The value of this tree is greater than $40,000. Yes, $40,000! Everything in the garden is special, but this tree might just take the title.
Conclusion
Thank you for taking time to read about the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden. If you end up visiting you’ll now know some cool extra facts. If you would like more information or would like to make a reservation, here is a link: https://www.csulb.edu/earl-burns-miller-japanese-garden/about-our-garden.
