When you reach the Japanese Garden entrance, there are about six to eight parking lots for cars or vans. However, you must note that they close the road to the top of the entrance on weekends, and you must park a little further below. There, a shuttle bus will ferry you to the Japanese Garden entrance. It will take about 5 minutes or less if you walk, but it is a steep walk uphill.

Walking around the Japanese Garden is soothing as the air is fresh, and the landscape is averagely acceptable. Do not expect blooms of colourful flowers and Japanese people strolling about. There are streams with live Koi Fish and small waterfalls with ponds in the Japanese Garden.

Paths will lead you to different areas of the Japanese Garden. One leads to the Tatami Spa, and a back way comes out at the main entrance, while another path will take you one round.

One thing about the Japanese Garden is that they have signboards on most trees showing the scientific and local names. So if you are a nature lover, the Japanese Garden is a great place to spend time.

Tiger Orchid MalaysiaOne thing that caught my full attention at the Bukit Tinggi Botanical Garden was the full bloom of Tiger Orchids. Some may know that Tiger Orchids or Orkid Harimau are rare orchids that flower in captivity.

The Tiger Orchid is also the largest orchid flower in the world. I was amazed at the number of flowers that bloomed. Never before have I seen such a massive bloom of the Tiger Orchids in my life.

It was a rare occasion for me, and I enjoyed it there. I must have taken about 4GB of pictures of the Tiger Orchid flowers.

You see, I have a special love for Tiger Orchids. About five years ago 2004, on a trip to Cameron Highlands, I bought a medium-sized wild Tiger Orchid plant from an Orang Asli (indigenous people of Malaysia) man for about RM80.00.For 5 years, I grew it in my mother’s garden and never saw anything bloom. It grew from 2 miserable stems to 7 stems in 5 years. And over a height of 6 feet from just 2 feet.

Then, one February 2009, my mother called me to give me the good news. There was a single flower stem growing with buds from the Tiger Orchid. That made my day, and I visited my mum almost daily to see the flowering progress. To cut a long story short, the Tiger Orchid flowers only lasted about ten days.

Picture of the Tiger Orchid in a pairTiger Orchid flowers in full bloom

The Ryo Zen Tei Japanese Restaurant looked pleasant and relaxing, but I never tried it, even after three visits. I wonder if the food is as good as the environment around the Botanical Garden. If someone has tried it, please leave a comment below, as I would love to know the food outcome here.

Overall, my visit this time was scheduled after lunch, and the weather was averagely cooling. It was a Sunday, but few people were seen in the gardens. I guess this was pure luck. Anyone planning to visit here can also read about my story at the Berjaya Hills Colmar Tropicale Resort.

From a local perspective, I believe the management should invest much more to have this place publicized, especially with social media and digital media on the rise here. This would probably increase visitors to the Japanese and Botanical Garden at the Berjaya Hills Resort in Bukit Tinggi.