On Sunday morning, November 9, the USC US-China Institute, in partnership with The Huntington and the Japan Society, hosted a K–12 Educator Workshop titled “Teaching with the Japanese Garden." The day was filled with insights, reflections, and inspiration, as educators gathered to explore Japan’s historical, cultural, and artistic legacy.
The morning opened with welcoming remarks from Glenn Osaki, Director of the USC US-China Institute. Osaki expressed heartfelt gratitude to the educators for spending their Sunday morning with USCI, emphasizing that their participation gives meaning to the Institute’s mission. He reaffirmed USCI’s commitment to providing high-quality educational programs tailored for K-12 educators across the Greater Los Angeles area, helping teachers gain new perspectives on East Asian culture, history, and society, and bring those insights into their classrooms.
Special thanks were also extended to Doctor Kristin Brisbois from The Huntington for her continued support of USCI’s annual educator workshops and her dedication to fostering cross-cultural learning.
Why History Matters
The workshop officially began with a presentation by Professor Tosh Minohara, who traveled from Japan to deliver his lecture. A native of Orange County, Professor Minohara earned his B.A. in International Relations from the University of California, Davis, and his Ph.D. in Political Science and Diplomatic History from Kobe University, where he now serves as a professor.
Professor Minohara opened with a fundamental question—Why does history matter? He stressed that studying history is not simply about knowing what happened, but about learning from it. Lessons from the past, he reminded attendees, must be applied to the present to avoid repeating mistakes.
He also explored the value of asking “what if?”—a question often dismissed because history is already written. For Minohara, posing such hypotheticals helps us understand why events unfolded as they did and encourages deeper reflection on historical causation.
Citing Mark Twain’s famous line, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes,” Professor Minohara highlighted that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. He encouraged participants to reflect on the evolution of U.S.–Japan relations since the war and to continue building a stronger, more collaborative future between the two nations.
He concluded by noting that Japan remains one of the United States’ most important partners, underscoring the enduring significance of mutual understanding and cooperation.
Gardens, Design, and the Art of Noticing
The afternoon session featured Professor Miya Elise Desjardin, who teaches garden design at the University of Southern California. Her talk guided participants through the aesthetic and philosophical dimensions of Japanese gardens, which she described as spaces that “engineer noticing.”
Professor Desjardin discussed how Japanese gardens engage emotion, memory, and mindfulness, serving as precursors to today’s immersive digital environments. Her presentation explored several key ideas:
- Gardens as living art — focusing on bonsai and stones as expressions of care and creativity
- Gardens and healing — including the concept of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing
- Gardens as spaces of memory and memorialization — such as the USC Japanese Garden, which honors Japanese American students who were forcibly relocated during World War II
- Aesthetics of care, maintenance, and sustainability — reflecting deep respect for nature and the passage of time
Professor Desjardin also introduced three foundational Japanese aesthetic principles often reflected in garden design:
- Ma (間) — the beauty of negative space. The “empty” areas between elements create balance, harmony, and depth, embodying the vastness of the universe. Ma extends beyond physical design to time and movement, such as the pause between musical notes or the silence in a tea ceremony.
- Ichigo-ichi-e (一期一会) — “one time, one meeting.” This philosophy invites appreciation for each moment as unique and unrepeatable, much like the shifting light or seasonal changes within a garden.
- Mono no aware (物の哀れ) — the “pathos of things.” This concept embraces the bittersweet beauty of impermanence—the falling of cherry blossoms, the aging of moss-covered stones, and the gentle decay of natural materials.
Through these lenses, gardens become not just visual compositions, but living expressions of mindfulness, impermanence, and care.
A Living Legacy
The Japanese Garden at The Huntington, one of the institution’s oldest and most beloved landscapes, provided a fitting backdrop for the workshop’s closing reflection. The garden stands as a vibrant example of American interpretations of Japanese garden-making over the past century.
Participants were invited to stroll through the garden at their own pace—to meditate, reflect, and take in the tranquility of the setting. Each attendee also received a complimentary copy of The History of U.S.–Japan Relations, edited in English by Professor Minohara, as a resource to continue exploring the topics discussed throughout the day.
The workshop blended history, culture, and design, offering educators fresh perspectives and practical insights to share with their students, continuing USCI’s mission to inspire deeper understanding of East Asia in classrooms across Southern California.
