From the charming French abode to the land of the Rising Sun, all within one place! After our visit to the Colmar Tropicale, or French Village at the peak of Bukit Tinggi, we made our way back down again for a stop to the Japanese Village.

The last time I visited this place was more than 15 years ago (what?). Things have changed since then. They’ve installed better walkways and facilities, and the road has been paved, with a proper railing and staircases. Nice to see that they’ve improved and most importantly, kept up the maintenance. It’s sad because a lot of facillities at our local tourist destinations get neglected over time.

The air was still warm despite the elevation, and the place was thick with humidity and the smells of the forest.We actually built up a sweat while walking up to the garden.

Spotted some pretty pink flowers along the way.

The entrance fee we paid at the foot of the hill includes access to the Japanese Village.  There are a few sections within, such as a tea house, a garden, a spa (separate fee), suites for stay, shops and a restaurant.

True to the Japanese theme, the souvenir shop featured loads of bamboo accents and decorations such as these colorful koi fish flags.

Entering the gardens. I’ve never been to Japan, and I’ve only been to one Japanese garden in San Francisco. I think the one in SF is pretty close to a real Jap garden because of the cool temperatures there. I’m pretty sure a real Japanese garden wouldn’t have tropical plants all over the place like this one, lol. They did a decent job at recreating the ‘feel’ though.

There was a small stream flowing down into a pond where fat koi fish swam. You can buy some fish food to feed the fishes.

Nice landscaping. Must be hard to recreate, considering how humid/hot it is in Malaysia.

If you want to do the touristy thing, you can rent a yukata (they have both male and female designs) to take pictures, but it’ll cost you a bomb. Fun to take pictures with, if you have the cash to spare. We didn’t.

The tatami area is only for those who have rented kimonos. We sweater-and-jeans folk were not allowed in.

The garden was not too big, so we were done within half an hour.

More flower pictures. These are called ‘chicken shit flowers’ in Cantonese, God knows why. Maybe it’s the smell, but they do bloom in colourful, pretty clusters.

The Japanese Village is another scenic spot to take pictures and drop by for a short visit if you’re in the Bukit Tinggi vicinity. 🙂