After leaving the amazing California Academy of Sciences, we wandered over to wander through the beautiful Japanese Tea Garden.
These historic gardens were first built in 1894 for the World's Fair held in San Francisco and are the oldest operating in the United States. The truly fascinating story of how the temporary exhibition became the permanent garden is well worth reading. Wikipedia has a comprehensive article with the history of Makoto Hagiwara and his family and how they and the Japanese Tea Garden were impacted by World War II.
As is frequently the case, the gardens were quite popular and crowded on this Saturday. But I was still able to capture some beautiful and peaceful pictures. Such as this one looking through one of the many stone lanterns which symbolize the coming together of the five elements in the harmony of nature.
The waterfall seen through the lantern is symbolic of the purest type of cleansing of bad spirits in the Shinto religion.
Speaking of religion, the main Japanese religions of Buddhism, Shintoism, and Taoism are all well represented.
This is the Treasure Tower. It is a five-tiered Buddhist shrine that was installed in 1915. It was obtained after the end of that year's Panama-Pacific International Exposition, which was held in what is now the Marina District.
The shrine was later moved to the site of the Shinto shrine, which was removed due to anti-Japanese sentiment after the war. The fence that can be seen in the bottom of the photo is a mizugaki, or traditional Shinto picket fence. It is unusual for a Buddhist shrine to be within the Shinto fence.
Although the site is only 5 acres, it appears to be much bigger and you feel like you can wander in the tranquil woods forever.
The peaceful Zen Garden was a favorite of mine.
Three main components in Japanese gardens are trees, water, and rocks. Obviously, this garden has all of these and they are designed to bring a sense of calm and peace to those observing them.
The large, ornamental gates seen in the photo below were also obtained by Mr. Hagiwara from the Pan-Pacific Expo.
March is one of the best times to visit this beautiful place.
Not only are the California blossoms in full bloom...
Not only are the California blossoms in full bloom...
...but the magnificent cherry blossoms are in full bloom as well!
The lower part of the Gardens are filled with beautiful water features with koi, flat stepping stones, and statuary.
From this lower vantage point one can look up and see the pagodas standing tall amongst red and green foliage on the hillside. If you look closely to the lower right, you can see another cleansing waterfall.
This tree was very cool, leaning over one of the ponds. I have a hard time believing its "lean" is intentional, but everything is so planned and well-placed that it may well be.
One of the most eye-catching items in a garden full of them, is the Drum Bridge. Designed to slow foot traffic, these extremely arched bridges reflect a circle in the water below, which, coupled with the design of the railing, looks like a drum.
As expected, the architecture and details in the structures are as beautiful and important as the placement of the rocks, trees, and water.
Well worth a closer look...
Well worth a closer look...
Such a visually stunning experience and so very peaceful, even with the crowds of people. Definitely a must-visit when you are in Golden Gate Park. I hope you've enjoyed this peak at the Japanese Tea Gardens in Spring!
xoxo
