The plaza is the work of Japanese garden designer Hoichi Kurisu ... for the base of the pagoda and lanterns across the plaza. The redesign added a space behind the pagoda for contemplation ...

Because Japanese meditation gardens are meant to look fairly ... like the ornamental stone lanterns shaped like pagodas often seen in Zen gardens, which are stone, ornamental, and representational ...

The 5-acre site features classic elements of a Japanese garden, including an arched drum bridge, pagodas, stone lanterns, stepping stone paths, native Japanese plants, serene koi ponds ...