Japanese Garden

This is a little unusual, a traditional Japanese garden in the heart of rural Australia. During the second World War a large number of Japanese prisoners of war were interned in a camp in Cowra, about 300 km west of Sydney.  On 5 August 1944 over one thousand prisoners escaped. Some 230 were killed, along with 4 Australian soldiers. The remaining escapees were recaptured and re-imprisoned. 

After the war, the site became a war cemetery for Japanese soldiers killed during the breakout, and other Japanese war dead from elsewhere in Australia. In the 1970s the site was developed as a traditional 'strolling garden', designed by renowned landscape architect Ken Nakajima. 

Today, on a sunny autumn Sunday in rural Australia, the garden was enjoyed and appreciated by many local residents and visitors.