English
Greetings from the director
Katsuhiko Maebara
Since opening the City of Sakura Rose Garden in 2005, making a website in English has been our dream in order to convey the history and culture of roses in Japan, along with our latest research to rosarians of the world. I am very pleased that our website has been able to be launched from the beginning of August, 2014.
It is a great honor for us that our garden was chosen as a Hall of Fame Garden by the Great Rosarians of the World, Program 2014. On behalf of all the members of the institute, I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude.
About forty years ago, I stayed in San Francisco for two years in order to learn horticulture. Twenty years ago, I established the Rose Culture Institute, and since then, have always run it on the model of the Huntington Rose Garden, from which I learned how to manage a public rose garden, to collect and preserve precious rose species and varieties, in addition to how to nurture them with the help of volunteers. Being chosen as a Hall of Fame Garden is encouragement greater than anything else for all the institute members and volunteers.
We would like to continue our work, in cooperation with Sakura City, to maintain and improve our rose garden. We welcome you to visit our garden virtually through this website and hope it will help rosarians of the world and all nature enthusiasts to understand Japan's history, culture, and contributions with roses. Also, I hope your virtual visit will encourage you to have a chance to come and visit our garden in person, to walk through the various areas enjoying the beauty created through the legacy, work, help, and collaboration of many.