There is a Japanese garden in Dusseldorf’s Nordpark, with a pond full of koi carp.
Ornamental trees and shrubs adorn the grounds of the Eko House of Japanese Culture in the Niederkassel district of Dusseldorf in Germany. Sunlight bathes an arched bridge; a pond is dotted with water lilies.
The surrounding lawns are immaculate, as if meticulously groomed. The curved roofs of a Buddha temple rise above this beautiful, exotic park – in a west-German industrial city.
The Eko House is a Japanese community centre and a major link between East Asia and Central Europe.
One of the Japanese-style gardens around the Eko House in Dusseldorf. — Photos: ANDREAS DROUVE/dpa
Japan and Dusseldorf have enjoyed close ties since the 1950s. Around 650 Japanese companies producing for the automotive, construction machinery and high-tech industries are based in and around the city. Dusseldorf’s strategic location on the Rhine between the former German capital Bonn and the Ruhr made it the obvious choice for Japanese companies to set up shop and it continues to this day.
About 15,000 Japanese people live in the city and the surrounding area. Most are sent to work in companies there and are often accompanied by their families, who stay for an average of three to four years. Meanwhile, some have put down roots.
Japanese culture is celebrated in the Eko House, where visitors can take part in tea ceremonies and workshops in Japanese traditions.
Little Tokyo, big city
The city’s Japanese district is just a few minutes’ walk from the main railway station. Japanese shops, restaurants, a hotel and banks with Japanese signs line the streets of “Little Tokyo” between Klosterstrasse and Immermannstrasse.
This is where Yurie Takagi, 58, runs the “first, oldest and, at the time, largest Japanese bookshop in Europe”, she says proudly.
Founded by her parents, the shop is a mecca of Japanese manga. Anyone interested in Japanese cuisine, language and culture are bound to find what they are looking for there.
Born and raised in Hamburg, Takagi studied German language and literature in Japan. The bookshop owner has a decidedly positive view of life: “Germany is cosier.” All those accustomed to densely populated, fast-paced, overcrowded Japanese cities with millions of inhabitants will probably echo her sentiments.
Farther along the Immermannstrasse, Hidenori Yoshimatsu runs a Japanese shop selling teas and gifts. The 71-year-old has lived here for 30 years, after having previously worked as a waiter and cook in a hotel in Tokyo.
His command of the German language is remarkable, albeit odd.
You can pick up some ramen in pretty much any European city, but the standards are high in Dusseldorf.
Wasabi and mustard
Yoshimatsu still clings passionately to the customs of his native Japan, such as “ikebana”, the art of flower arranging, and drinking sake or rice wine. He cooks in Japanese style but adds German flavours.
Roast beef, marinated in Dusseldorf mustard, is cut into fine pieces and eaten with a dash of wasabi and chopsticks.
While Yoshimatsu only cooks in private, Tetsuo Ohashi, a chef in the Hyuga restaurant, believes firmly that “guests should enjoy Japanese food”. Gastronomy is of the utmost importance in Japan.
Ohashi, 69, expertly prepares raw fish sashimi-style, as well as tempura, sushi and celery, which he marinates in sweet vinegar.
Fashion designer Hiroyuki Murase also adds a traditional Japanese twist to his products.
The 41-year-old uses a former bakery in the Flingern-Sud district as an ideas factory. There, he designs collections for men and women that sell like hot cakes between Paris and New York under the Suzusan label.
Murase arrived in the city 20 years ago to study sculpture at the Kunstakademie Dusseldorf.
He eventually drifted into fashion even though he was convinced that the industry no longer needed anything new.
Then, Murase resorted to the centuries-old Shibori technique, a manual method of dyeing fabrics, like batik, that was in danger of dying out. Murase essentially revived this tradition from his home village, and now designs in Dusseldorf, but commissions production in Japan.
Every piece, including those in his shop on Ronsdorfer Strasse, is unique. The fashion designer is like a traveller between cultures.
“I often go to museums and galleries in Dusseldorf, which provides endless inspiration.”
The abundance of Japanese shops and atmosphere in the city begs the question of whether Dusseldorf is a substitute for a trip to the “Land of the Rising Sun”. In fact, it only whets your appetite and makes you want to experience the true magic of Japan.
A visit to Dusseldorf might be the next best thing though, dining on chef Ohashi’s delicacies, or walking around the Japanese Garden in the North Park with its magnificent plants and a pond full of fat koi carp. And just like in Japan, the cherry blossoms in the Eko Temple Park symbolise the arrival of spring. – ANDREAS DROUVE/dpa
