Japanese Tea Garden San Francisco

Peaceful, tranquil, serene...these are the words that describe the Japanese Tea Garden in the Golden Gate State Park, San Francisco. Popping with color and a vibrancy that is pleasing to the eye, it was an experience I will always remember. It was well attended most clearly and I breathed in with wonder as my husband and I crossed over the bridge, viewed the pagodas, and threaded upon the stone paths. 

I quote from the Japanese Tea Garden's website: "Today, the Japanese Tea Garden endures as one of the most popular attractions in San Francisco, featuring classic elements such as an arched drum bridge, pagodas, stone lanterns, stepping stone paths, native Japanese plants, serene koi ponds and a zen garden."

Check it out: https://www.japaneseteagardensf.com 

So how did this garden get its start you may ask? Well, it began as part of the World Fair. The California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894. It was originally called the Japanese Village and Tea Garden. Mr. Hagiwara, a Japanese landscape architect, took the initial one acre and poured his heart into creating 5 acres of beauty which makes up what we see today. And there he stayed with his family til 1942. It was then with great sadness that they were forced to move into internment camps along with 120,000 other Japanese Americans. 

(info from: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/japanese-tea-garden)

 A traveling tip is that if you arrive before 10 am every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, you get free admission. My husband and I literally entered three minutes before 10! (It is closed until further notice due to COV 19. Hope you enjoy these photos from my visit in March).

Enjoy a walk through the gardens....

Check back in a week or two to see flashbacks from me and my husband's adventures in California!