John P. Humes Japanese Stroll Garden

The John P. Humes Japanese Stroll Garden is a 4-acre (16,000 m2) Japanese garden in Mill Neck, New York, providing a retreat for passive recreation and contemplation.

The garden was begun in 1960 for Ambassador and Mrs. John P. Humes upon their return from Japan, and built over the next four years. In 1980 it was donated to the Wild Life Sanctuary, and opened to the public in 1987. In 1993 the Garden Conservancy assumed management of the garden.

The garden is built on steeply sloping terrain, and aims to invoke the sensation of a remote mountain village. It contains a lake, and tea house in the shoin-dzukuri style of the Ashikaga period, brought from Japan by Ambassador Humes.

Moving through the garden, where the views, textures and balance of elements have been planned following Japanese aesthetic principles, visitors experience a walking meditation inducing inner peace. Stepping stones are used to control the rate at which one moves through the garden, encouraging moment-to-moment reflection. The garden suggests a hillside landscape beside the sea, where gravel paths represent streams that form pools and cascades, eventually flowing into the ocean represented by a pond.

Of special interest in the garden are the tea house, tea garden, stone lanterns, mosses, waterfall, pond, and a collection of related North American and Asian plants.

The Humes Japanese Stroll Garden is operated by the Garden Conservancy through an agreement with the Humes Japanese Garden Foundation, which owns the property.