Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco

The Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco is the oldest public Japanese Garden in the United States and offers a tea house, a gift shop, and a beautiful, serene green space. It was built for the 1894 World's Fair and today offers a free and beautiful escape from the city's hustle and bustle.

The garden offers walking paths lined with immaculately tended trees, plants, and colourful flowers both native and exotic. It also features a traditional tea house for light eats, and an on-site gift shop allows for the purchase of souvenirs. It's free to enter and is a family-friendly attraction.

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Highlights of the Japanese Tea Garden

The biggest highlights of the Japanese Tea Garden are the walking paths marked by stunning features like a historic pagoda, a drum bridge, koi ponds, and pebble-lined Zen gardens. Of course, you'll also witness the brilliant colours of native and exotic flowers all along the paths and in the different areas.

In the tea house, you can sample popular Japanese tea blends and rice crackers, with traditional fortune cookies tucked in every bowl. The gift shop is full of authentic Japanese gifts, such as tea and sake sets, glazed ceramics and vases, daruma dolls, green teas, children's toys, and other collectibles.

Good to know about the Japanese Tea Garden

The Japanese Tea Garden is in Golden Gate Park and is free to enter, though the tea garden and gift shop will incur costs depending on what you have. They're open daily with no holiday closures. The park is not pet friendly, so be sure to leave your 4-legged friends at home.

Parking is available all around the park, but the lots can get crowded, so you may need to be patient or arrange to take a ride-share service. The tea house offers an open-air patio with plenty of space where you relax and enjoy a quick bite.

Location: 75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA

Open: Winter: daily from 9 am to 4.45 pm. Summer: daily from 9 am to 5.45 pm

Phone: +1 415-752-1171

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