Japanese Tea Garden San Francisco

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Location: Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

This garden had its beginnings as part of a Japanese Village exhibit for the 1894 Midwinter Fair in San Francisco. When the exposition was closed, Baron Hagiwara Makoto approached the City of San Francisco with the idea of a Japanese garden as a gift to the City. The offer was accepted and Hagiwara set to work, developing a 5-acre site in Golden Gate park. Hagiwara and his family continued to care for the gardens until 1942 when they were removed to internment camps by the U.S. government.

The garden includes a teahouse, a Drum Bridge (Taiko Bashi), shrines and native Japanese and Chinese plants. The teahouse offers a wonderful spot to sit quietly with a cup of tea and reflect on the beauty of your surroundings. The simple menu includes a selection of teas (jasmine, green, oolong or iced) as well as standard soft drinks. All drinks are served with a complementary bowl of cookies (almond, sesame seed and fortune) and rice crackers. To complete the mood, the waitresses wear kimonos.