Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
Where: 1000 E. Beltline Ave. NE
Regular hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday (until 9 p.m. Tuesdays); 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.
Admission: $12 adults, $9 seniors, $9 students with ID, $6 ages 5-13, $4 ages 3-4. Free for age 2 and younger.
More info: Call 616-957-1580 or 888-957-1580 or go online to meijergardens.org
GRAND RAPIDS, - The Japanese Garden at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is the cultural venue's biggest undertaking since it opened in 1995.
Look back: 20 years of Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids
That's in terms of time as well as treasure.
Plans for the 8 acre garden with waterfalls, gates and gazebos were unveiled more than three years ago. Construction on the $22 million garden has been underway for more than 3 1/2 years.
Related: Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park unveils plans for $22 million Japanese Garden to open in 2015
The opening for the Richard and Helen DeVos Japanese Gardens is now just five weeks away.
The public grand opening is June 13. Opening for Meijer Gardens members is June 11-12.
Japanese gardens are miniature, idealized landscapes, an interpretation that appears natural but is not wild.
"There are moments you feel like you're totally transported to Japan," said Joseph Becherer, chief curator and vice president of horticulture and sculpture, collections and exhibitions, last fall.
Related: Rare Japanese art at Meijer Gardens opens second of three-part show in 2015
The newest garden at Meijer Gardens is designed by Japanese landscape architect Hoichi Kurisu using a variety of horticultural and architectural elements.
A native of Hiroshima, Japan, Kurisu grew up in the aftermath of the atomic bomb that the United State dropped on Japan to end World War II.
Kurisu, founder of Kurisu International, has used such traditional elements Zen and Bonsai gardens at the site at the northeast corner of Meijer Gardens' 158-acre campus.
Zigzag bridges and a teahouse are among traditional features surrounding the 2.6-acre pond in the garden.
Sculpture by artists David Nash, Zhang Huan, Anish Kapoor and Masayuki Koorida will decorate the Japanese Garden, not far from Meijer Gardens' latest acquisition by dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
Related: Meijer Gardens marks 20th anniversary by dedicating work by dissident artist Ai Weiwei
Though Japanese Gardens are a Japanese art form, the flora and fauna used to create one are not exclusively Japanese. Even in Japan, native plant species vary widely from north to south.
Most of the plants and trees planted in the Japanese Garden are native to the region.
"The idea is to use the plants and trees as they would be used in Japan," said Greg Afman, lead horticulturalist, last year.
Opening the Richard and Helen DeVos Japanese Garden culminates a 10- to 15-year master plan set in motion more than a decade ago to bring to Meijer Gardens, among other things, an international garden.
Meijer Gardens' patron and namesake, Fred Meijer, and his wife, Lena, both were fond of Japanese gardens. Fred Meijer died at age 91 in November 2011.
"It also was Fred's last wish for Meijer Gardens," said David Hooker, president and CEO of Meijer Garden, when the project was unveiled in February 2012. "By doing our job, we keep Fred Meijer's legacy alive."
Once the Japanese Garden open, you should plan on an entire morning or afternoon to really see it.
"It'll easily be a two-hour experience," Becherer said. "And that's just hitting the highlights."
Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk covers arts and entertainment for MLive and The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at jkaczmarczyk@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.