The Peace Bell Garden, United Nations, New York, NY
Crown Prince of Japan, Naruhito, recently visited the Peace Bell Garden at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, NY which was designed by ZEN Associates. ZEN Associates’ Principal, Shin Abe, was honored with the opportunity to explain the concept and history of the garden to the Crown Prince of Japan.
The Peace Bell Garden provides a stage for demonstrating a unified call for world peace. The Garden is located in the central courtyard at the United Nations Headquarters and was designed to accommodate both large and small gatherings. Symbolically, the garden and the layout of its components represent the mythological universe, our physical world, and the United Nations flag. The Garden terrace is defined by an arrangement of boulders and earthen mounds planted with Japanese maples, low bamboo, and flowering shrubs composed in a traditional Japanese style.
The focus of the Garden is the Peace Bell Tower. The Peace Bell is rung every year at the opening of the General Assembly. The bell serves as a symbol of peace and represents the universality of the United Nations and the collective wish of all Member States to live in a world of peace.
Our hope has been and continues to be that all the people who visit this garden, including Secretary-Generals and Representatives from around the world, will enjoy a tranquil moment of peace, and gain fresh energy to work and reconcile the hardship of this world. We hope you get a chance to visit the Peace Bell Garden!
Shin’s discussion with the Crown Prince of Japan during his visit to the Peace Bell Garden was featured in a New York Japanese Newspaper, Shukan Seikatsu, and can be watched here.
