Public Japanese Gardens

Photograph by Patrick Talley
Our Community Resource Guide lists 25 distinct Japanese American public gardens from across California and North America. Connect with this rich cultural heritage and the natural world, in what the North American Japanese American Garden Association describes as “havens of beauty and tranquility, cultural and historic landscapes, and places for natural healing.”

  • Kubota Garden

    July 20, 2023 by

    The 20-acre property “blends Japanese garden concepts with native Northwest plants,” and features “a spectacular setting of hills and valleys, interlaced with streams, waterfalls, ponds, bridges, and rock outcroppings with […] READ MORE

  • Taiyo-chan-en (Little Sun) Zen Garden

    July 20, 2023 by

    “The UMW Zen Garden, designed by Bob Chilton and Todd Stewart of Gardens Unlimited is a space for anyone to come contemplate its beauty or spend some moments in meditation.” […] READ MORE

  • Japanese Garden

    July 20, 2023 by

    “With its waterfalls, bridges, and stone paths that wander amongcrepe myrtles, azaleas, Japanese maples, dogwoods, and cherrytrees, the Japanese Garden is a peaceful hideaway in Houston’sHermann Park. The garden was […] READ MORE

  • Japanese Garden at Fort Worth Botanic Garden

    July 20, 2023 by

    The garden consists of 7.5 acres filled with cherry blossom trees, Japanese maples, magnolias, bamboo, bridges, and ponds which are home to over 1,200 koi fish. Hours: 8 a.m. to […] READ MORE

  • Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center

    July 20, 2023 by

    “Three traditional types of Japanese gardens comprise the1.2-acre site: a hill-and-pond style garden, which is intended tobe viewed from the veranda; a tsubo-niwa, or courtyard gardenin the style of an […] READ MORE

  • Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

    July 20, 2023 by

    The garden features “artificial hills contoured around a pond, a waterfall, and an island while carefully placed rocks also play a leading role.” The garden includes “wooden bridges, stone lanterns, […] READ MORE

  • Portland Japanese Garden

    July 20, 2023 by

    “The Garden sits nestled in the hills of Portland, Oregon’s iconic Washington Park, overlooking the city and providing a tranquil, urban oasis for locals and travelers alike. Designed in 1963, […] READ MORE

  • Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden at Chicago Botanic Garden

    July 18, 2023 by

    “Sansho-En, or the ‘Garden of Three Islands,’” has three islands.The focal point is the traditional buried Japanese lantern, ikekomi.Wintergreen Korean boxwood represents the islands behind thelantern.” Hours: 8 a.m. to […] READ MORE

  • Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

    July 18, 2023 by

    The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens are “a center for Japanese arts and culture in South Florida, with rotating exhibitions in its galleries, tea ceremonies performed monthly in its Seishin-an […] READ MORE

  • The Japanese Friendship Garden of San Diego

    July 18, 2023 by

    The 12-acre garden is known for its “unique setting, stone arrangement, koi pond, exhibition hall and ornamental tree collection.” Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily (last admission at 5 […] READ MORE

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