Peak sakura season in Pittsburgh: cherry blossoms at the Japanese garden in Shadyside.

The cherry blossoms are in full bloom today at the Japanese garden at UPMC Shadyside.



Reads a plaque at the entrance:

This garden is a gift from Dr. Kazuo Kodera in honor of nurses. It is a place for health care providers to think about our friends around the world and to reflect on the meaning of our work, which is to care for one another. It is a place to find new friendships, to find new hope, and to find peace.

We hope you enjoy your time here.

September 2005

A September 2008 Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania newsletter tells more:

Outside the main entrance of Shadyside Hospital, a quiet and unassuming oasis lies. The serene Japanese garden was made in honor of nurses. The trees are a gift from Dr. Kazou Kodera, Japanese director of the English Society Institute in Tokyo.

A plaque closer to the entrance, at a smaller garden, tells visitors that the garden is dedicated to the Matsudaira's first son, Shinya, who died in 1995.