The East-West Center's Japanese Garden was designed by landscape architect Kenzo Ogata, financed by twenty-two Japanese business enterprises, and completed in 1963. Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko blessed the garden the following year, and revisited the garden thirty years later in 1994. The flow of the koi-filled stream symbolizes the flow of life (see EWC website link below for further explanation) and is designed to meander in the shape of the kanji character for "heart", which is intended to symbolize the aloha that the Japanese are sending to the people of Hawaii. Several of the garden features, from the tea house to many trees, were presented or placed by notable people (see garden signage).
Read more about the garden on the East-West Center's website.
View a photo of the blessing ceremony from the Honolulu Advertiser archives on the East-West Center Association blog.
Please be respectful if you visit, as this is intended to be a place for quiet reflection, and do not miss the nearby Thai Pavilion.