The Japanese Gardens (De Japanske Haver), Broby

A slice of Japan amid Funen’s fields

The Japanese Gardens sit quietly in the rural landscape near Broby, yet the moment you enter, the mood shifts from Danish farmland to carefully composed Japanese calm. Designed after traditional principles, the gardens extend over roughly 7,500 m², enclosed enough to feel intimate but large enough to invite slow exploration. Gravel paths meander between bamboo, maples and evergreens, revealing one composed view after another. Water is a constant presence: ponds with koi and waterlilies, narrow streams threading under gently arched bridges, and small cascades that create a soft backdrop of sound. Carefully placed rocks, lanterns and stepping stones are not decorative afterthoughts but structural elements guiding the eye and the footsteps, just as in classical Japanese garden design.

Eight distinct garden worlds to wander

Rather than one homogeneous park, the site is divided into eight different garden types, each with its own rhythm and character. You can move from an open **view garden**, where broad vistas unfold across ponds and clipped shrubs, into a more intimate **tea garden** with narrower paths, stone basins and a sense of quiet anticipation. Elsewhere, a shady **forest garden** evokes mountain paths, while a **strolling garden** invites you to circle water features and islands, seeing the same elements from constantly shifting angles. There is a dedicated **water garden**, a more enclosed **courtyard garden**, a contemplative **temple garden** and, at the heart of it all, a **meditation garden** centred on stillness. Together they form a compact introduction to the diversity of Japanese garden culture.

Seasonal colours and meticulous planting

Planting is dense and deliberate, designed to carry interest from spring’s first buds to late autumn’s fading hues. More than 5,000 trees and shrubs, along with tens of thousands of groundcover plants, create layered textures. In May and June, rhododendrons and azaleas erupt in colour, echoed by irises edging the water. Later in the season, hydrangeas and hardy camellias pick up the baton, while Japanese cherries and acers bring both blossom and fiery autumn foliage. The pruning style is distinctly Japanese: pines and other evergreens are cloud-pruned into tiered silhouettes, while shrubs are clipped into soft, rounded forms. Stone lanterns, bridges and boulders are integrated into these plantings so that there is rarely a hard line between the garden’s natural and constructed elements.

Café, shop and quiet corners to linger

At the centre of the complex a bright, wood-and-glass building houses the café, shop and indoor seating, overlooking water and greenery. The menu leans into Japanese inspiration, with options such as sushi plates, rice dishes and Japanese-style meatballs, often alongside simpler cakes, buns and coffee. Food is plated with the same attention to presentation found in the garden layouts. You are welcome to slow down even further in sheltered pergolas and seating nooks, some designed for visitors bringing their own picnic. A small shop offers imports from Japan: porcelain, tea sets, glassware and ikebana pieces, alongside a modest plant area with bonsai, specialist shrubs and tools that appeal to garden enthusiasts.

Practical notes, access and who it suits

The gardens are a seasonal attraction, typically open from early May to the end of September with daily daytime hours; the café generally closes about an hour before the garden gates. Paths are mainly level gravel and paving, and the layout is broadly accessible, with benches dotted throughout for rest and contemplation. The site works equally well for a contemplative solo visit, a gentle family outing or a relaxed day trip for couples. Two to three hours allow enough time to stroll all the sections, pause at viewpoints and enjoy a meal. Because the experience is so weather-sensitive, clear or mildly cloudy days with little wind show the gardens at their best, when reflections in the ponds are sharp and the air carries the scent of flowers and damp stone.