Japanese Tea Garden

Japanese Tea Garden which includes a park and heritage architecture
Japanese Tea Garden featuring heritage architecture and a park
Japanese Tea Garden showing landscape views and a park
Japanese Tea Garden featuring landscape views and a park
Japanese Tea Garden which includes fall colors and a garden


Enjoy a refreshing cup of tea in the oldest Japanese garden in the United States. This place of ornate beauty is nestled quietly away in Golden Gate Park.

This is a haven of peace and tranquillity and the perfect place to get away from the fast-paced culture and throbbing cityscape that is San Francisco. As you wander round the Japanese Tea Garden, you’ll feel peace descend. Spend some time relaxing in these exquisitely beautiful surroundings. Find a quiet spot among the 2.2 hectare setting, which incorporates trees, plants, benches and walkways.

The origin of the Japanese Tea Garden is surprising. It was originally commissioned as an exhibit for the World’s Fair in San Francisco which took place in 1894. Once the fair closed, the garden designed by Baron Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese landscape gardener, was turned into a permanent feature of the district and was expanded in size. The family and descendants of Hagiwara then resided permanently in the area and maintained the garden well into the twentieth century.

Find yourself at one with nature and discover your spiritual side in the meditative Zen Garden, a particular favourite with San Francisco’s Bohemian residents. The Zen Garden has attractive water features and contains the Lantern of Peace, a bronze lantern that weighs in at a huge 4,082 kilograms and that represents the reconciliation between Japan and the United States after the horrors of the Second World War.

The Japanese Tea Garden is particularly beautiful in the spring, when its thousands of cherry blossomed trees bring real beauty to the garden. Come autumn time, the burnished reds and oranges of the falling leaves also create a beautiful and colourful setting. Overlooking the site the Tea House, a quaint and attractive building open all year round and in which Hagiwara introduced San Francisco to the fortune cookie.

San Francisco’s Japanese Tea Garden is a little gem of the orient in California, and well worth a visit.

Tours & day trips

See all 300 activities

History & culture

See all 125 activities

Private & custom tours

See all 80 activities

Adventure & outdoor

See all 54 activities

Cruises & boat tours

See all 44 activities

Popular places to visit


Top Hotel Deals

Stanyan Park Hotel

Stanyan Park Hotel

3 out of 5
750 Stanyan Street, San Francisco, CA
Stanyan Park Hotel
Sunset Edwardian Bed and Breakfast at Golden Gate Park

Sunset Edwardian Bed and Breakfast at Golden Gate Park

2 out of 5
1471 18th Ave, San Francisco, CA
Sunset Edwardian Bed and Breakfast at Golden Gate Park
Holiday Inn Golden Gateway by IHG

Holiday Inn Golden Gateway by IHG

3.5 out of 5
1500 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA
Holiday Inn Golden Gateway by IHG
Hilton San Francisco Financial District

Hilton San Francisco Financial District

4 out of 5
750 Kearny St, San Francisco, CA
Hilton San Francisco Financial District
The Metro Hotel

The Metro Hotel

2.5 out of 5
319 Divisadero St, San Francisco, CA
The Metro Hotel
Monte Cristo Bed and Breakfast

Monte Cristo Bed and Breakfast

3 out of 5
600 Presidio Avenue, San Francisco, CA
Monte Cristo Bed and Breakfast
Hotel Kabuki, part of JdV by Hyatt

Hotel Kabuki, part of JdV by Hyatt

4 out of 5
1625 Post St, San Francisco, CA
Hotel Kabuki, part of JdV by Hyatt
Hotel Riu Plaza Fisherman's Wharf

Hotel Riu Plaza Fisherman's Wharf

4 out of 5
2500 Mason St, San Francisco, CA
Hotel Riu Plaza Fisherman's Wharf
The Laurel Inn, part of JdV by Hyatt

The Laurel Inn, part of JdV by Hyatt

3 out of 5
444 Presidio Ave, San Francisco, CA
The Laurel Inn, part of JdV by Hyatt
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.