Japanese Tea Garden

The Japanese Tea Garden began as a temporary exhibition for the eighteen ninety-four California Midwinter International Exposition. While most of the fair's elaborate structures were demolished once the event concluded, this site remained because it captured the public imagination. Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese immigrant and landscape designer, took over the site after the fair. He poured his own wealth and decades of labor into transforming the single-acre exhibit into a five-acre sanctuary. He imported exotic plants, birds, and koi fish directly from Japan to cultivate an authentic atmosphere that stood apart from the surrounding parkland.