Everett Community College

Nishiyama Japanese Garden at Everett Community College

Nishiyama Japanese Garden at Everett Community College represents a compressed world of mountains, forests, lakes, rivers, meadows and village. Access to the garden for self-guided tours is provided at no charge on days when EvCC classes are in session and on special occasions.

The garden has eleven primary elements, each with a quiet message of its own. These include entry gate, entry area, waterfall, stream, tea garden, rock garden, Tsubo garden, side gate, stone bridge, earthen bridge, Iwakuni wooden bridge, and stucco masonry wall with tiled roof enclosing the entire garden site.  We invite you to enjoy the beauty of the garden: its color, symbolism and tradition.

The centerpiece of the garden is the "Iwakuni" footbridge made of wood salvaged from the famous landmark Kintai Bridge located in Everett’s Sister City - Iwakuni, Japan. The 330-year old Kintai Bridge is rebuilt periodically to maintain the integrity of the structure. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between The City of Everett and Iwakuni City, lumber from the 2001-2003 bridge reconstruction project was fashioned into a smaller bridge and donated to the college’s garden project.

The bridge was shipped from Iwakuni in pieces via container to Everett in late May 2003. Four carpenters from Iwakuni followed the bridge to Everett and assembled it over a five-day period using traditional Japanese bridge construction techniques. The same carpenters were also involved with the reconstruction of the larger Kintai Bridge in Japan. Kumetsugu Ebisaki, chief carpenter on the bridge project, is the eleventh generation of his family to work on the Kintai Bridge. The nails, spikes and bolts used in the bridge were made by the only artisan in Japan making them today and are guaranteed to last 1,000 years. The bridge is made of Hinoke cypress, Japanese pine, zelkova wood, and others.

The garden's fence, gates, front steps and granite pathways were designed and constructed by Koji Uchida. He also crafted a Japanese tearoom located inside the NBI facility. Although he has a degree in oceanography, after graduating from college he followed a different career path. Uchida spent several years studying with traditional construction craftsmen in Japan, becoming an expert at Tatami and tearoom construction.

The garden design is the result of a collaboration between Koji Uchida and Zen Landscape and Design team members Junji Miki, Junichi Hamada, and Chiaki Takanohara, and is theresult of the generosity of friends of the NBI in the local community and in Japan. The gate and fence were financed by a grant from the Snohomish County Hotel/Motel Tax fund. All funds used to build and maintain this garden come from donations.

For group tours and tours including the Japanese tea ceremony, please contact the NBI at 425-388-9195 or email to:  kkoss@everettcc.edu