Isamu Taniguchi built this garden in the 1900's. I visited this garden about a year ago. However, when I first visited this garden I was not aware of its history. A tale named "Mother Tree" describes how Taniguchi was inspired by a tree to build this garden. Taniguchi wanted his oriental garden to stand as a symbol of universal peace. Presently, we are visiting the oriental garden. I am sitting on the opposite side of the bamboo bridge beside the bamboo pipe. This bridge is referred to as "Togetsu-kyo" or the "bridge-to-walk-over-the-moon." When one is walking across this bridge, one is said to be accompanied by the reflection of the moon on the surface of the water, which continues to follow you as you move across the water. The reflection of the moon is said to reveal the ultimate universal beauty. When I walked over this bridge I felt like a giant. The bamboo pipe, which is gently placed above a rock with greenery surrounding it, is meant to serve the same purpose as a westerner's baptism. In the Orient, it serves as a place to wash your hands, rinse your mouth, and basically cleanse yourself from all evils. I look over to this pipe and place my hand underneath it, and feel the water flowing between my fingertips. The water is cool. The sound of the constant flowing water cleanses my mind. I move closer to the water hoping that the sound of the water will get louder, and block out the surrounding noises of people playing soccer. It doesn't seem work. It seems impossible when you want to block out distractions, but if you don't think about the noises they seem to blend in to the background. I close my eyes and try to observe nature through my senses. I can feel the warmth of the sun on my back. My hand is touching the rock that that I am sitting on. It feels cool, not only where my hand is touching, but underneath my body. The warmth and the coolness of the rocks give me a comfortable feeling. It reminds me of sleeping in a hotel with the air conditioning down low, cuddled up beneath a lot of covers. I breathe in, and can smell a sweet flower a few inches from my nose. I open my eyes to see what type of flower it is and I see a bee, buzzing around the yellow flower. I can hear the sounds of running water, and this constant sound puts my mind at ease. Earlier on our trip we went to visit the actual Mother Tree who gave inspiration to Taniguchi to build this garden. I really enjoyed the story about the mother tree. It reminded me of all of the writers who obtain inspiration from observing nature. Also I am amazed that Taniguchi could get so much inspiration to build a garden from a tree. When went to see this "mother tree," it gave me an uneasy feeling because it looked so pitiful. It brought up the fact that everything can only live so long, before it dies. Also, that every living thing has a goal in its life. The Mother Tree's goal was to inspire Taniguchi to build the oriental garden. Once her goal was accomplished she passed on. Taniguchi's goal was to build this oriental garden to give others a feeling of peace. I think Taniguchi's goal was accomplished, because the landscape along with the way that your senses interact in the garden together gives you a sense of peace.