Guide to Visiting the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco

An absolute gem in San Francisco is the Japanese Tea Garden, which is nestled inside Golden Gate Park, a beautiful place to visit nearly any day of the year.

Here’s everything you need to know before visiting the Japanese Tea Garden (Golden Gate Park) to make your visit more meaningful.

Why Visit the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco?

It’s beautiful. The Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco is such a treasure of a place. If you’re visiting San Francisco and want to surround yourself with nature and beauty, this is the place to go. At the Japanese Tea Garden, you’ll find lush greenery, koi ponds, and gorgeous flowers almost year-round.

It’s historic. If you’re looking for a garden with history, this is it. The Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco is the oldest one in the United States. Plus, there are certain features of the garden that have their own unique history, like a 200-year-old Buddha statue and ginkgo trees that descended from the ones that survived the atomic blast in Hiroshima.

There’s tea. If you’re a fan of tea, you’ll love the tea house at the Japanese Tea Garden. Tea is served in beautiful cups, and you can choose from a variety of types of tea, such as sencha, genmaicha, and jasmine.

Must-See Features of the Japanese Tea Garden

Buddha Statue

The historic bronze Buddha statue in the Japanese Tea Garden is over two hundred years old, having first been cast in 1790. It was gifted to the garden in 1949.

Stone Lanterns

The Japanese Tea Garden has several stone lanterns, which were once used in Buddhist temples before becoming a staple of Japanese gardens. The stone lanterns symbolize spiritual enlightenment, serving to guide visitors through the garden both literally and figuratively.

The largest lantern in San Francisco’s Japanese Tea Garden is a 9,000-pound bronze Lantern of Peace, which was a gift to symbolize friendship between America and Japan after World War II.

5-Story-Tall Red Pagoda

The Japanese Tea Garden’s five-story-tall red pagoda was originally constructed for the Panama Pacific International Exhibition of 1915. The 107-year-old Buddhist shrine was fully restored in 2022 after dry rot, insects, rodents, and time had taken a toll on the structure.

Half-Moon Bridge

The historic Drum Bridge in the Japanese Tea Garden is also nicknamed the Half-Moon Bridge. It represents a perfect half circle, and when you look at its reflection in the water below, it becomes a full circle or full moon. The steepness of the bridge forces visitors to slow down and to be in the right state of mind for tea.

The bridge was originally built in Japan then dismantled and brought over to San Francisco for the 1894 Midwinter International Exposition. After the expo, the bridge was donated to the city and has been at the garden ever since.

Tips for Making the Most of Your Visit to the Japanese Tea Garden

Take a Free Walking Tour around the Japanese Tea Garden (Golden Gate Park)

Sign up for a free walking tour of the Japanese Tea Garden to learn more about the garden’s history and various features. The walking tour is put on by the San Francisco City Guides, which will meet you just after the entrance.

The one-hour walking tours occur nearly every day, sometimes once a day, sometimes more. Be sure to check the times on the day you plan to visit and sign up in advance.

Otherwise, you can do a self-guided tour around the garden. You can view a map of the garden here.

Use the Free Shuttle at Golden Gate Park

The free Golden Gate Park shuttle operates every 15 to 20 minutes and can take you around Golden Gate Park.

View the shuttle schedule for more information about its stops.

See if You Can Get in Free

Everyone: Admission is free from 9-10 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Military/Veterans, Museums for All (EBT eligible), and San Francisco residents: Admission is free any day with proof of ID.

If you’re planning to also visit the San Francisco Botanical Garden and the Conservatory of Flowers in the Golden Gate Park, you can purchase a 3-day Gardens of Golden Gate Park Pass to visit all three for the cost of two.

Visit the Japanese Tea Garden website for additional information about their current prices.

Do you have to purchase tickets in advance? No, you don’t. We were okay to purchase our tickets upon arrival.

Best Times to Visit the Japanese Tea Garden

The weather is mild year-round in the Bay Area, but spring is a wonderful time to visit, particularly for the flowers. In autumn, many of the trees turn fiery red and orange, which is also a sight to behold.

Plan to Spend a Few Hours Here

We spent around 2 hours in the garden and tea house, which seems to be about typical.

Tea and Food to Try in the Tea House

The tea house at the Japanese Tea Garden is surrounded by lush gardens, allowing you to meditate and enjoy nature before entering the tea house and enjoying a cup of tea.

While the tea house at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco isn’t a traditional one where you have to take off your shoes and perform a tea ceremony, it’s still rooted in tradition, which you can see in the menu and the construction of the building itself.

What should you order at the tea house?

Well, first: tea. Choose from sencha, genmaicha, hojicha, jasmine, iced green tea, or matcha.

If you’re looking for a savory snack, try the udon, miso soup, arare (rice crackers), or chicken karaage.

For desserts, I’d recommend the matcha cheesecake (heavenly). You can also try the tea cookies, daifuku, dango, dorayaki, or mochi ice cream.

See the full menu.

History of the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco

The Garden Grew from 1 to 5 Acres Thanks to Makota Hakiwara

1894: The Japanese Tea Garden (Golden Gate Park) in San Francisco is the oldest operating Japanese public garden in the United States. It started as just one acre in 1894.

1894-1925: Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese landscape architect, was the official caretaker of the Japanese Tea Garden until his death in 1925, and he expanded it to its current size of nearly five acres.

Makota’s Family Was Sent to Internment Camps

1942: The Hagiwara family lived at the garden until 1942 when, sadly, they were forced into internment camps along with 120,000 other Japanese Americans during World War II.

1945: Even more tragic, the Hagiwara family wasn’t allowed to return to San Francisco when the war ended, and some of their family treasures have been lost forever.

Nevertheless, Makota Left a Legacy with the Garden (and Fortune Cookies)

1890s-1900s: Makota Hagiwara left a huge legacy in San Francisco as he was also the one who introduced fortune cookies to Americans in the 1890s, helping to develop a sweeter recipe that was more palatable to Western taste buds.

Today: The Japanese Tea Garden serves fortune cookies in his honor to its visitors alongside every bowl of Japanese rice crackers that is sold.

Interesting Facts About the Japanese Tea Garden

• Some of the trees in the Japanese Tea Garden (Golden Gate Park) are more than 100 years old.
• The Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park started as just one acre in 1894.
• The creator and caretaker of the Japanese Tea Garden also introduced fortune cookies to Americans.
• The Japanese Tea Garden was originally a Japanese village for an exhibit in the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition.
• The Japanese Tea Garden (Golden Gate Park) is open every day of the year.
• Two descendants of ginkgo trees that survived the Hiroshima nuclear blast in 1945 were planted at the Japanese Tea Garden in 2019.
• The Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco is the oldest operating Japanese public garden in the United States.

Is the Japanese Tea Garden Worth It?

Yes, I’d 100% recommend visiting the Japanese Tea Garden, especially if you love beautiful gardens, historically important gardens, Japanese culture, and tea.

It can get crowded, especially on weekends, but it’s still worth a visit.

Other Things to Do Near the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco

Visit the Two Other Gardens in Golden Gate Park

While you’re in the Golden Gate Park, be sure to check out the two other gardens, the San Francisco Botanical Garden and the Conservatory of Flowers.

Each have separate entry fees, but you can purchase a 3-day Gardens of Golden Gate Park Pass to visit all three for the cost of two.

Explore Golden Gate Park

You can rent bikes to get around the park to visit Blue Heron Lake and Strawberry Hill, which is in the middle of the lake and the highest point in the park. There are bridges so you can easily reach Strawberry Hill without a boat.

Check out the museums in Golden Gate Park, such as California Academy of Sciences and the de Young Museum.

Lastly, don’t miss the Chinese Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion, which was a gift from Taipei.

Visit the Palace of Fine Arts

The Palace of Fine Arts is not in Golden Gate Park but about 10 minutes away. It was constructed for the 1915 international expo, inspired by a Greco-Roman ruin that existed to show “the mortality of grandeur and the vanity of human wishes.”

It’s now one of San Francisco’s most beautiful tourist attractions.

The gorgeous structure features a rotunda, colonnades, a lagoon, and gardens.

It’s free to walk around — and you’ll find many people doing just that, taking photographs of this impressive site.

You’ll need to find street parking to access the site, which can be a bit of a challenge.

The bus tour below passes by Golden Gate Park, Palace of Fine Arts, and many other iconic sites in San Francisco, allowing you to hop on and back on at any time.

Explore Japantown

Japantown is less than four miles from Golden Gate Park and well worth a visit. The heart of Japantown is the Japanese Peace Plaza, which is surrounded by cherry blossom trees that bloom for only a few weeks each year.

This is a nice neighborhood to walk around, enjoy the blossoms, and pop into shops. Daiso, a Japanese discount store, is always a good one to visit. There are also many Japanese restaurants to try.

I’d recommend the ramen at Umai Ramen House, inside the Japan Center Mall.

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