Inside Golden Gate Park's Japanese Tea Garden, it is easy to forget that you are still in San Francisco. Walking paths framed by bamboo, bonsai, and flowering cherry trees meander past a pagoda, koi pond, and many beautiful monuments. Open daily, it is a lovely place to enjoy a meditative walk or a cup of tea.
Originally developed to showcase a Japanese Village for the 1894 California World's Fair, it was designed and maintained by Japanese immigrant and landscaper Makoto Hagiwara. Hagiwara perfected the garden and imported many plants such as rare Japanese birds, goldfish, and bronze items in tribute to his native Japan.
During World War II, Hagiwara and his family were ordered into an internment camp and the garden fell into disrepair. Today, the public garden is declared the oldest in the U.S., but the Monterey pine at the Main Gate is one of the few reminders of the original Japanese Tea Garden.
Japanese Tea Garden is located at 7 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, next to the de Young Museum between John F. Kennedy Drive and Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive.
Attraction Information
- Hours:
- Open Daily, no holiday closures
- Summer (3/1 through 10/31): 9am to 6pm
- Winter (11/1 through 2/28): 9am to 4:45pm
- Admission:
- Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Free if entered by 10am
- Adult: $5
- Senior (65+) and Youth (12-17): $3
- Child (5-11): $1.50
- Child (4 and under): Free
- Metro Stop:
- Muni train N: exit Irving St & 9th Ave
- Muni buses 6, 43, 44, 66
- Contact:
- Location: 7 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, CA
- Phone: 415-666-3232
- Website: www.japaneseteagardensf.com
