Japanese Tea Garden

A visit to the Japanese Tea House and Garden creates an intense awakening of the senses with the sounds of an azalea-covered waterfall, the sights of regal lanterns and statues, and the intoxicating scent of sweet wisteria and other magical blooms. With a history dotted with devotion and creativity, the Japanese Tea House and Garden has been a favorite stop for guests touring the Golden Gate Park. Although the name of this incredible site suggests you’d stop by for a sip of tea, this is probably the least enticing draw associated with this alluring attraction.

Exploring the Sights

As you enter the Main Gate of the Japanese Tea Garden, you will encounter the Monterey Pine, which Hagiwara relocated in 1900 from the Golden Gate Park oceanfront to its current home. Venturing through the Main Gate, remnants of the original site are in view, including the columns of the Music Concourse from the 1894 Expo.

Just inside the Main Gate, glance to your left to encounter a clipped hedge in the form of Mt. Fuji. This feature pays tribute to Hagiwara’s Japanese roots, which were located close to this highest mountain in Japan. If you stop by the Japanese Tea House for a cup of tea, you can also catch sight of this attraction when peering beyond the pond.

To the left of the Mt. Fuji Hedge, you will find the Dragon Hedge, decorated with a backdrop of illuminating bamboo. Also located close to the Main Gate, you may relax in the company of delicate irises and dwarf trees. It is here that a pathway filled with character, guides you to the Drum Bridge, where mesmerizing greenery and a noble Chinese pine reside. Reflecting a perfect circle, the Drum Bridge represents part of the 1894 Japanese Village.

When you reach the Gift Shop, you will encounter a peaceful waterfall setting surrounded by wisteria, azaleas, dwarf trees, and the Japanese maple tree. To the far left, the Japanese wisteria originates from the early-1900 specimens planted by Hagiwara. A small lake with island décor is situated in this section of the park, which was also part of the original Japanese Village. This sight is located in front of the Japanese Tea House, which additionally provides a view of the Gift Shop beyond the greenery.

Located close to the Gift Shop, an impressively carved water basin (in the shape of a boat) is positioned. This feature offers the traditional washing of the hands before entering the Tea Room. If you venture between the Gift Shop and the Asian Art Museum, a large keyaki tree, which precedes Hagiwara’s grand landscaping efforts is found. In the vicinity, you may also visit the Sunken Garden, which was designed in the same area where the Hagiwara’s former residence was stood.

Another sight worth a look includes the Pagoda, which measures five stories. This attraction once graced the 1915 Japanese exhibit at the Panama-Pacific Exposition. Pagodas hold a special place in Far East culture, as they serve as Buddhist shrines. The nine rings on this particular example symbolize the different heavens of the gods. Situated behind the Pagoda, the Zen Garden filled with bonsai trees and azaleas presents a mini-mountain setting, complete with stone waterfall and a river made of white gravel.

Upon exiting this wondrous attraction through the Main Gate, you may notice a large stone decorated with a bronze plague. It is here that you will find the words, “To honor Makoto Hagiwara and his family who nurtured and shared this garden from 1895–1942.”

Japanese Tea House and Garden History

The historical roots of the Japanese Tea House were firmly planted in 1894 when the Japanese Tea Garden was established to showcase a Japanese Village for the California Midwinter International Exposition (also referred to as the World’s Fair). Today, the Japanese Tea Garden is heralded as the oldest public Japanese garden in all of the United States.

While the majority of the Golden Gate Park design and growth is credited to a man, who is said to have planted two million trees in his lifetime, John McLaren allowed another to design and groom the Japanese Tea Garden. In an attempt to share a piece of his culture, an affluent Japanese landscape designer named Makoto Hagiwara wished to transform the temporary World’s Fair exhibit into a permanent fixture of the Golden Gate Park.

In the end, Hagiwara was responsible for erecting the Tea House, the garden, and the pavilions. He constructed a large public arena, as well as a small private setting for his family to dwell while he looked after the greenery. The garden was eventually expanded to reach close to five acres, exceeding the original space by four acres of land. Hagiwara not only perfected the landscaping, but also imported a wealth of authentic tributes to his homeland, including rare Japanese birds, goldfish, bronze items, and plants.

The new garden was also decorated with an assortment of appealing statues, such as a wooden Buddha, a Shinto Shrine, stately eagles with spread wings, and a porcelain lantern.

Between 1895 and 1942, Hagiwara and his family resided, cared for, and furthered the development of the Japanese Tea Garden, until an unfortunate event occurred. World War II struck and the family was forced from their home and ushered off to concentration camps with other Japanese Americans. The garden was then given the name “The Oriental Tea Garden.” During wartime, many of the beautiful arrangements were destroyed or removed, sculptures vanished, and many plants succumbed from lack of care.

Today, there are flashes of the original Japanese Tea Garden, such as the Monterey pine located by the Main Gate, but overall, much of the original tea garden has been erased. In 1952, the garden was officially renamed the Japanese Tea Garden once more, and in 1953, a 9,000 pound Japanese offering called the Lantern of Peace was placed on the premises in an effort to ease the tensions associated with the past.

Things to Do

a) Meditate and Relax: The scenery of and surrounding the Japanese Tea House is one that encourages, promotes, and fosters meditation and relaxation. Finding a quiet corner filled with indulgent scents and creative energy is an easy task to accomplish when it comes to reading a book or finding peace within.

b) Sip Tea: While tea drinking takes a far backseat to the visual excitement of the Japanese Tea House, you may nonetheless purchase a cup to sip while roaming about the captivating grounds.

c) Capture Creative Greenery: When visiting the Japanese Tea House, it is a must to carry along a camera so you may capture this gentle moment forever. The enchanting landscape to the colorful blooms to the striking architecture, you are never at a loss when it comes to creating a special memory.

d) Take Wedding Photos: While the Hagiwara Gate is a terrific place to execute and grab hold of the perfect wedding snapshot; there are plenty of locations beyond the entrance that set a memorable scene. The brick terrace, the Sunken Garden, the Temple Gate, as well as the Crane Sculptures are all worthy options.

e) Purchase a Souvenir: Explore a handful of Japanese-inspired souvenirs as you visit the Gift Shop. Don’t forget to bring cash on hand when visiting this attraction because both the Gift Shop and the Japanese Tea House do not accept credit cards.

Contact Details

Location: The Japanese Tea Garden and House is located on the corner of Tea Garden at Martin Luther King, Jr. within the Golden Gate Park.

Phone Number: 415-752-4227, 415-752-1171, or 415-750-5105

Hours: March through October (8:30am to 6pm daily); November through February (8:30am to 5pm)

Interesting Fact: The designer of the Japanese Tea House and Garden, Makoto Hagiwara, is often credited with the invention and introduction of the popular fortune cookie concept to the American public.

Garden of Shakespeare’s Flowers

You may have read Romeo and Juliet in high school or viewed the modern adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays across the silver screen, but have you ever witnessed the colorful outburst of various blooms that have illustrated the famous lines of the Bard? Located in Golden Gate Park, Shakespeare’s Flowers takes after the themed garden spread of plants and flowers mentioned within the works of William Shakespeare. Often, examples of such an attraction are cultivated in parks, universities, and by locations where annual Shakespeare festivals are held. 

There are more than 200 flowers and plants situated at the Shakespeare’s Flowers location. Transporting visitors into the pages of historic comedies, tragedies, and sonnets, bronze plagues engraved with notable quotations accompany the floral arrangements.  It is here that guests congregate to admire and absorb the cultural and educational significance of the garden. Shakespeare’s Flowers is also a popular place to hold an outdoor wedding as the romantic scene of calming green and colorful displays of nature intensify the warm surroundings. 

Exploring the Garden of Shakespeare’s Flowers

Upon stepping inside the intricately designed gate of Shakespeare’s Flowers, a sundial soon greets you along a path fashioned from brick. Continuing down the walkway, towards the left, a chart of the garden contents identifies the various types of plants that dance about the pages of Shakespeare’s works. Throughout the garden, a variety of benches provide the perfect place to rest your feet and take in the sights. Many visitors come with their collection of plays and become completely submersed in the tranquility and comfort that the garden presents.

As you move to the farthest end inside of the garden, a locked box set inside a brick wall beckons your curiosity. Surrounding the scene are six panels of bronze, where contained in the box, a bust of William Shakespeare resides. There are only two in existence and can be observed with the say-so of park officials. Until then, you will just have to read the panels, which contain floral quotations donated by an array of cultural associations from the area.

Brief History of Shakespeare’s Flowers

While the garden paying tribute to William Shakespeare is often called, “Shakespeare Garden” (among other names), the California Spring Blossom and Wildflower Association originally established it as the Garden of Shakespeare’s Flowers. With a history dating back to 1928, the garden was the brainchild of Alice Eastwood, who served as the long-running director of botany for the Academy of Sciences. Inside the garden, a stone bench was placed in her honor, located close to the back of the grounds.

Straight From Shakespeare

Flowers and plants played an important tool of imagery throughout Shakespeare’s literary masterpieces. While some of the blooms are rather recognizable, others are not too familiar. Below are a few quotes from some of Shakespeare’s works that detail his affinity for the use of blooms throughout his plays and sonnets:

a) Poppy and Mandrake: The poppy has been seen as both a symbol for death (for its blood red color) and sleep (in reference to the opium it contains) in literature. The plant genus, Mandragora, belongs to the nightshades family and possesses a long history in connection with the Hebrew Bible, magic, spells, and witchcraft. In Cleopatra and Antony, Shakespeare makes mention of the plant as an ingredient in a drink that puts people to sleep for long periods of time.

“Not poppy, nor mandragora,
Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world,
Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep
Which thou owedst yesterday.”
Othello (3.3.368-71)

b) Daisies and Violets:
“When daisies pied and violets blue
And lady-smocks all silver-white
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight, “
Love’s Labours Lost (5.2.900-4)

c) Roses:
“I have seen roses damask’d, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks...”
Sonnet 130

d) Lilies:
“Like the lily,
That once was mistress of the field and flourish’d,
I’ll hang my head and perish.”
Henry VIII (3.1.168-70)

Locating Shakespeare’s Flowers

The Garden of Shakespeare’s Flowers is situated at Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Middle Drive East, located not too far from the Japanese Tea Garden and the San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum. A sign directing visitors to the garden’s free entrance is also in the area.

AIDS Memorial Grove

As individuals living with AIDS, caregivers, and loved ones struggle to make sense of such an undiscriminating disease, support and comfort becomes one of their greatest allies. Filled with the hope and warmth that nature delivers, the AIDS Memorial Grove settled in the Golden Gate Park serves as a dedication to all the victims of the illness and aims to ease the pain left behind for supporters, husbands, wives, children, and best friends. With this inspirational plot of trees, flowers, rocks, memorials, meadows, and additional overwhelming scenes of natural beauty, visitors come to seek strength, share stories, and create memories that heal.

Exploring the Grove

Covering seven acres of land, the AIDS Memorial Grove is filled with presentations of stone and wood that easily creates the perfect setting for deep thought, reflective contemplation, and a breath of rejuvenating fresh air. Throughout the year, thousands of visitors from across the globe congregate at the Grove, as they take in the sights, hold private ceremonies, and volunteer to keep up the maintenance of the gardens. The main sections of the AIDS Memorial Grove include:

a) Main Entrance: As you approach the primary entrance to the Grove, you will come across the signature boulder at the Main Portal. Weighing seven tons, the Sierra granite specimen was inscribed and situated at this location to pay homage to the World AIDS Day observance, which took place on December 1, 1995. Upon entering the Grove, the Woodland Path is not far, where a wheelchair accessible ramp leads to the eastern sights of the grounds. This particular area offers the sights of pine trees, Monterey Cypresses, redwoods, and Monterey Pines. Not too far from the entrance, you will also find your way to Dogwood Crescent, where the Circle of Friends resides.

b) Circle of Friends: The bridge located between the Woodland Path and the Dogwood Crescent offers an inscription that sums up the soul of this piece of the Grove: “Circle of Friends: Lives Touched By AIDS…Donors to the Grove…Those Who Have Died…Those Who Loved Them.”

It is at this sight where an array of names is engraved into the floor of flagstone. More than 1,500 people are represented at the Circle of Friends, which continues to grow with new entries during the autumn season. Here, visitors come to place flowers and become inspired.

c) North Slope (Pine Crescent): As you step foot on the set of stairs leading to Pine Crescent, you probably didn’t know that they are comprised of old San Francisco relics donated by the city. Made from old street curbs, this site serves as a gathering quarter. The North Slope showcases the regal presence of pines as the sky peeks through beyond the distance.

d) West End (Fern Grotto and Meadow Overlook): A winding staircase flanked by inviting shrubbery presents a calm stroll to the Meadow, where a variety of attractions can be found. At Dry Creek, volunteers spent a great amount of care and time renovating the surroundings, including the placement of a handful of benches along the creek bed. Surrounded by plants and trees, taking a rest on a bench provides the perfect chance to reflect and enjoy the shade. Throughout the Grove, there are numerous circular features. It is through this representation that visitors are reminded of the power of an embrace. At the Fern Grotto, it is the Circle of Peace that waits. A poem by Thomas Gunn is inscribed, dedicated to all of the unidentified individuals who fell victim to AIDS. The West Portal is also in this area, which sees a fair share of entrances from visitors coming in from the western end of the Grove.

e) South Slope: With society garlic whispering over your shoulder, a bench at the base of South Slope welcomes tired legs. A variety of maples and other deciduous tree specimens and plantings are positioned within this part of the Grove. The South Portal offers one of three designated entrance points. Before the Grove became known as an AIDS memorial, it was called de Levega Dell. In the South Slope area, a dark rock emerges into view with the original name of the grounds etched on.

f) The Meadow and Crossroads Circle: Healing circles take place throughout the Grove, where the Meadow offers the perfect setting for such a moving moment. With vibrant shades of green decorating this section of the park, the brilliant power of the sun sneaks past the towering treetops to present an inviting open space. At Crosswords Circle, which is situated at the western edge of the Meadow, a tribute is paid to the women and children affected by the AIDS virus.

g) Redwood Circle: When looking for a peaceful place to call your own, you can seek out the bench situated under the trees by Woodland Stream (a dry creek bed constructed by volunteers). The surrounding redwoods that make up Redwood Grove provide comfort and shade, as light infiltrates the area with warmth. When you reach Redwood Circle, you will encounter ten boulders, which signify the boundaries of this particular section of the grounds. As you take a closer look, an assortment of inscriptions, dedications, and remembrances enlighten the masses. It is here that you will find Angel Rock, one of ten boulders, which happens to honor “the Angels in the Grove.”

Things to Do at the Grove

On both an individual and group basis, the Grove opens up to embrace a wide-range of activities. Below you will find a variety of things that many visitors enjoy at the AIDS Memorial Grove:

a) Picnic: Grab your blanket, picnic basket, and gather an assortment of food because many visitors come to the Grove to hold intimate picnics and family get-togethers. With tons of shade and open meadows, you are sure to find a comfortable spot all to yourself.

b) Get Married: The Grove provides the perfect setting for an assortment of life events and rites of passage fit for their magnitude. It is not uncommon to see weddings, commitment ceremonies, and other family celebrations of life throughout the gardens.

c) Hold Performing Arts Events: What better place to enjoy the uplifting power of song, dance, and music, as a wide-range of performers take to the grassy meadows or designated gathering areas at the Grove? Poetry and other spiritual assemblies are also popular here.

Rules of the Grove

To make sure that the Grove is just as enjoyable for others as it is for you, familiarizing yourself with the rules is highly suggested (especially if you plan on bringing food or playing music). Below are a few regulations upheld at the Grove:

a) Food: Both homemade and catered food is allowed at the Grove, although barbequing is not allowed, whereas other areas of Golden Gate Park are more suited for this activity.

b) Drink: All types of beverages are allowed at the Grove, even alcohol, which is permitted at the park unless drinking gets out of hand or involves an underage participant.

c) Sound and Music: If you plan on amplifying music or other sound equipment, you should be respectful of others and keep it to a reasonable level.

d) Candles and Fire: Unless you have been granted permission before entering the park, candles and fire are not allowed.

Brief History of the Grove

During the late 1980s, reeling from the grief that came as a result from dealing with the effects of AIDS, a small collection of San Francisco residents decided to act upon their loss. They imagined a calming natural scene where memorial services and private refection could take place. Drawing from a blueprint of heartache, a host of landscapers, architects, designers, and volunteers pooled their energy together to produce a tribute filled with life that would pay homage to love, friendship, healing, and existence.

In 1996, Congress and the President of the United States approved the “National AIDS Memorial Grove Act”, which officially set aside the notable deLaveaga Dell in Golden Gate Park as the home for the first AIDS memorial to grace the nation. The landscape produced a public dedication to the lives that have been affected by the AIDS virus. Fed by community support and outreach groups, the Grove continues to flourish, including monthly workdays held on every third Saturday during the months of March through October. Through the generosity of volunteers, who tend to the continuous care and maintenance of the Grove, private funding also helps keep the grounds alive. Overall, the Grove serves as an important sanctuary for all to enjoy.

Contact Information

Location: The National AIDS Memorial can be found on 856 Stanyan Street, which is part of the Golden Gate Park.

Phone Number: (415) 750-8340

Tours: If you are interested in a tour of the Grove, you may encounter free, guided excursions on every third Saturday of the month, between the months of March and October. The tours are held from 9am to noon, meeting at the Main Portal. Prepare to devote about 20 minutes to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Grove while on tour. If you are interested in an individual or group tour of the grounds, you may call the phone number above for more details.