Japanese Tea Garden

Main Gate to the Japanese Garden

Tranquil, Gentle and Peaceful Gardens

The Japanese Tea Garden is located in the beautiful Golden Gate Park at 7 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive.  There is parking on the street or at the Music Concourse Garage located on 10th Avenue and Fulton which is a short walk to the garden.  For more information: http://japaneseteagardensf.com/index.php

Garden Settings

 

The Japanese Tea Garden is one of my favorite and tranquil places to visit.  Upon entering you'll find a magnificent gate that leads into the garden, actually to a ticket booth where you will have to pay a small entry fee. However, once you get in you can't help but notice the tea house perched atop a small hill.  I remember the first time I sat down at the Tea House, it was a great place to relax and enjoy the various teas, eat a few Chinese crackers and a fortune cookie.

Japanese Tea House

How the menu has grown to include sandwiches, Miso soup and an assortment of other delicious snacks.  If you get an opportunity to sit at the front section of the Tea House you can enjoy the beauty of overlooking a Koi pond amidst a tranquil garden.  However no matter where you sit you will definitely enjoy it. 

Tea House overlooking the Koi Pond

The garden itself is roughly five acres with a conglomerate of paths that take you through various sculptures and artistic displays of pagodas, statues of Buda, an arched drum bridge, stone lanterns and the like.

The landscape is simply perfection at its best with lush greenery surrounding you to include Japanese plants, Koi ponds, a Zen garden and if you visit during March through April you can enjoy the blossoms of the Cherry Tress strategically planted throughout the garden. 

Drum Arched Bridge

You can easily visit the entire garden in an hour if you choose not to visit the Tea House.  However, I highly recommend sitting at the Tea House and taking it all in. 

Gift Shop

Also within the grounds is a small gift shop that sells an assortment of Japanese teas, tea sets, bowls, dolls, figurines and the like. It would be worth the time to visit the gift shop as well.

Statue of Budda

One thing that I did notice as I was perusing the garden is that is not stroller friendly.  Though some steps and stone pathways were a little challenging to navigate, I did manage to see the entire garden.

If you want to visit the Tea House, there are very limited areas where you can bring a standard size stroller...perhaps two and you'll have to carry it down a few steps to do so.  Another thing is on a typical weekend, finding seating at the Tea House is like parking at the mall during Christmas, so be aggressive and jump on any opportunity to find an open table. 

Stone Pathways in the Garden

The Japanese Tea Garden is truly a relaxing and enjoyable place to visit with numerous things to see. Don't forget to visit the Tea House and enjoy the various teas and foods.  

 

Click Here for a map to the Japanese Tea Garden 

If you would like to create your own Japanese Tea Garden visit the link below. 

 

Japanese Gardens, San Francisco, Golden Gate Park, Tea House, Tea Room