Japanese Garden in Jurong to reopen in Sep. 2024 with S'pore's largest water lily collection

The Japanese Garden, located within the Jurong Lake Gardens, will reopen in September with scenic boardwalks and the largest water lily collection in Singapore.

The new Japanese Garden will occupy an area of approximately 13 ha, NParks said on Jul. 21.

It will feature curated gardens designed with a focus on tropical horticulture, water-sensitive designs, and colours and textures found in the tropics.

The garden's design was developed by NParks in partnership with JTC.

Image from NParks.

Will have S'pore's largest water lily collection

Visitors coming from Jurong East MRT station can cross a bridge to get to the Water Lily Garden, which will be home to the largest water lily collection in Singapore.

This includes 150 water lily varieties sourced from around the world, such as from the United States, France, and Thailand.

Several varieties will be on public display in Singapore for the first time.

Visitors will be able to get an unobstructed view of the lily garden from the comfort of a sheltered pavilion.

Visitors can also admire the water lilies up close, with the help of scenic boardwalks across a series of terraced ponds.

Other areas to explore

One area visitors can explore is the Sunken Garden, which promises a gorge-like landscape surrounded by lush vertical green walls.

Its centrepiece will be a water feature inspired by a cenote — a collapsed limestone cave — that harvests rainwater for recycling.

Another highlight is the Floral Garden, which comprises four Japanese-themed gardens incorporating elements like sculptural rocks, bamboo clusters and ornamental trees.

Five community plots within the Floral Garden were designed and co-created with students from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and ITE College East, and volunteers from Friends of Jurong Lake Gardens.

A smart water management system will also be implemented for sustainability purposes, using natural vegetation and soil microbes to clean and restore the water in the Japanese Garden.

A tree-planting ceremony to enhance the garden was carried out on Jul. 21 with over 150 participants, including residents, grassroots leaders, students, volunteers and donors.

Background

The Japanese and Chinese Gardens at Jurong Lake Gardens have been closed for redevelopment since May 2019.

They will both open in September 2024.

Another section of the park, Lakeside Garden, opened in April 2019.

A new north section was unveiled in April 2023 with an outdoor skate park, parkour park and bouldering wall.

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Top image from NParks