Penza, 15 September 2015. PenzaNews. The official opening ceremony of the Japanese garden located at the Sprygin Penza State University botanical garden was held on Tuesday, September 15.

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The botanical garden director Marina Rostovtseva held a guided tour of the premises for the esteemed guests before the ceremony, telling them the history of the location and pointing out the current issues on the schedule.

Afterwards, Marina Rostovtseva and the Penza State University principal Alexander Gulyakov cut the tape into the Japanese garden.

The staff of the botanical garden showed the guests all details of a traditional Japanese garden recreated on its territory: as such locations are dedicated to natural perfection, it features only the traditional elements – water, rocks, wood and living plants – with nothing artificial.

The guides also described the traditional ceremonies associated with such gardens and helped the guests try one of them – washing hands from a stone water basin.

Further on, the esteemed visitors helped plant a sakura tree – the symbol of Japan – in the garden as part of the opening ceremony.

The Sprygin botanical garden will be celebrating 100 years in 2017, Alexander Gulyakov reminded.

“This unique natural location must keep growing and developing. It is a jewel of our university and a gem of the region,” he stressed.

The project of the Japanese garden, developed by the PSU student Kristina Korneeva, was brought to life thanks to the principal’s grant and additional funding through the Russian Science Ministry program “From Knowledge to Success 2.0.”