Morikami: A Slice of Japanese Cultural Beauty in Southern Florida
In Delray Beach, Florida, there are 16 acres of land that belong entirely to a different time and place. The beauty and mystery of rural Japan spring to life in the leaves of bonsai trees, brushstrokes of centuries-old paintings, and in the methodical swirl of peaceful Zen gardens with meticulously arranged rocks.
The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens unite modern-day Florida with the culture of a remarkable country ocean away. It provides solace from the incessant hurry of everyday life, both rejuvenating and inspiring its visitors. Morikami is the perfect getaway, allowing you to travel to the other side of our world in one afternoon and do so without the plane ticket, long journey, and jet lag.
Whether you’re an anime buff looking to immerse yourself in a culture you already love, or this is your first foray into all things Japan, Morikami is sure to delight.
So, slip off your shoes and step onto the tatami – it’s time for our tour to begin!
The Morikami Connection
Sukeji “George” Morikami emigrated to Florida in 1906. He was suffering from a broken heart when he arrived; the family of the girl he loved had disapproved of his marriage proposal.1 So, here he was on a foreign shore, only 19, with nothing but a distant dream.
He joined the recently established Yamato Colony – an agricultural community located on the Atlantic coast of Florida – and hoped to make a quick fortune as a farmer before heading back to Japan.2
“Yamato,” the name for ancient Japan, was a symbolic choice for the colony. (And no, fellow Naruto fans, it’s nothing to do with our favorite Wood Release ninja.) Yamato meant “The Beginning,” and this was surely the start of a great enterprise. “Happiness, prosperity, good fortune and all the blessings of mankind are included in the spirit of the word.”3 Hopes were high among the Yamato farmers.
At the time, Henry Flagler’s Model Land Company was encouraging settlement along the growing Florida East Coast Railroad. So, the Yamato Colony settled in Boca Raton with plans to use Flagler’s railroad to ship their produce.4 It was a win-win relationship, and George’s heart began to heal as he tilled the soil, planted seeds, and watched them grow.
For several years, George and the colony grew pineapples, but when America’s roaring twenties economy boomed then crashed later in the decade, Yamato Colony evaporated. Most members packed their bags and went back to Japan. However, George and a few others decided to stay.
When World War II broke out, the Yamato Colony’s land was seized by the U.S. government and turned into a training base. George, undeterred, started farming again on a new piece of land, slowly accumulating more property after the war.
In 1967, George Morikami became a U.S. citizen.
He passed away a decade later, in 1976. He had never married but had been happily farming till the end, constantly enveloped in nature.
George once wrote to his niece,
“I am 80 years old and yet I plant trees. . .This is my life’s desire, my dream. If I can plant something today, I will have no regrets if I die tomorrow.”5
George Morikami
Before his death, George had generously donated his land (worth millions) to Palm Beach County for a park. He said he chose to donate it because “America has been so good to me.”6
In addition to showing his deep gratitude, George’s donation also rescued the fading memory of the intrepid Yamato Colony. Opening in 1977, the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens were built upon the donated land, and “a living monument was created, building a bridge of cultural understanding between George Morikami’s two homelands.”7
The Morikami Collection
The Morikami Museum, housed in the Yamato-Kan building, is home to amazing artifacts that help tell the story of Japan at large and the intimate history of the Yamato Colony.
While Morikami is home to ever-changing exhibitions, one permanent exhibit is that of the Yamato Colony and their pioneering efforts in Florida. Photographs introduce you to the faces of these brave pioneers, and items like George’s pocket watch, a go game, and a young girl’s well-loved dolly are reminders that the Yamato Colony was once made up of real people with rich lives and bubbling dreams.
The various galleries of Morikami include traditional Japanese paintings, sculptures, and robes. Some of the currently highlighted pieces include a gorgeous 19th-century ink painting on silk depicting plum blossoms, a classic symbol of beauty in Japan. The seamless feathering of ink from light to dark, deftly interspersed with negative space, makes it a true masterpiece.
Another highlighted piece is one of the most modern in the gallery – an infinitely looping bamboo sphere, appropriately titled Uzumaki or swirl. (Do I even need to try and reference Naruto Uzumaki here?) This delicately woven basket looks like it is in perpetual motion; even the keenest eyes will have trouble untangling this beautiful knot. Artist Yamaguchi Ryūun explains that the illusion of movement is intentional, as he tries to capture “the beauty of water flowing, the beauty of flowers, and the beauty of moving clouds” through bamboo.8
A Taste of Japan
Once you’ve toured the museum, you may want to stop for lunch at Cornell Café before walking through the iconic gardens. With their delicious Pan-Asian menu, even your taste buds get to travel the world!
Start your meal off with a savory, warm bowl of miso soup, then try a bento box full of tasty teriyaki chicken, rice, and dumplings – you’ll feel just like Satsuki and Mei with their bento lunches in My Neighbor Totoro! A glass of sweet, boba milk tea is the perfect drink for washing it all down.
Speaking of tea, on select Saturdays, you can experience a true Japanese tea ceremony in Morikami’s tea house and observe the true art of tea making and tea drinking. (The main ingredient, of course, is tranquility.) Want to learn to do it yourself? Morikami offers classes and workshops about the Omote-Senke style of a tea ceremony, too.
Garden of the Drops of Dew
A lightly curved bridge crosses over a gently rippling koi pond (à la river) leading to the six gardens beyond. On your way over, be sure to take time to gaze below the bridge and say “hello” to the turtles who share the flowing water with their Koi fish friends. The bridge itself, with its ornate, red-tinged railings, is not unlike the bridge Chihiro crosses with Haku in Spirited Away. You might feel like you’re being transported to a different world, too, as you step onto the other side.
Each of the six distinct gardens in Roji-en, Garden of the Drops of Dew, represents a significant garden in Japan. As you tread down a quiet path, delicate flowers sway in the breeze and bamboo towers overhead. One garden features water-scaping and lush overgrowth while another is void of any plants at all; rather, large rocks jut out from gravel that has been carefully raked into eye-catching patterns.
In addition to Roji-en, Morikami is also home to the Dr. Ron and Arlene Kessler Bonsai Walk. Beauty abounds in this amazing collection of tiny trees! Meticulously trimmed and lovingly cultivated, each tree is a work of living art. The entire bonsai walk exudes the same patient, endearing aura as The Karate Kid‘s loveable Mr. Miyagi.
While each bonsai tree, and each of Morikami’s gardens, have their own personality, they all share the same purpose – to help visitors “exchange burden, boredom and despair for renewal, inspiration, and hope.”9
With its changing exhibits, scrumptious café, and ever-growing gardens, Morikami is a place you’ll want to visit again and again – especially when you need to be inspired.
Cover Image
Photo: Lisa Jacobs via Flickr
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