Japanese Tea Garden

Maybe I’m not the type of person that likes to pay to see nature. Don’t get me wrong — this was a lovely and serene place to walk around and see some beautiful flowers and koi. I guess having been able to visit Japan and Hawaii where seeing beautiful natural scenes were free, I was expecting a bit more than this.
It is quite a small area so my friends and I were there for about an hour which included us getting a drink at the tea shop located inside the garden. It was a sunny and warm day so it was nice to walk around and we were able to get some really nice pictures.

Some people say that this place is small and not worth $ 8 but I think that if you take your time to enjoy the view and REALLY take your time… Then I think it’s worth $ 8. I spent two hours just being in there observing everything. This place is definitely a great way to unwind and just relax for a bit.
They have a small gift shop and it is the cutest thing! They have pretty cute and unique stuff. I spent a good 30 minutes in there just to explore the gift shop. I’m not sure whether they accept cards but just to be on the safe side, bring extra cash with you.
They also have this resting area where you get to sit. If you’re feeling hungry, they have food there! I would recommend jasmine tea (very floral and semi sweet).
A good place for tourists to come and take pictures.
Overall, I would definitely recommend anyone to come here and enjoy the view.

My friend and I decided to go on a little day trip to the city. Mistakenly, we forgot to check the weather, so it was rather moist, especially for the parts of the city west of Twin Peaks. After touring the de Young, we decided to see if the Tea Garden was open, after all the mist was extreme from the fog. It was, so walked in, strolled the paths and relaxed in the mist-​filled atmosphere surrounded by the beauty around us. After our stroll, we went to the tea house and ordered the sencha tea with the petit fours. The service was kind, the tea was amazing and the petit fours were a perfect treat. Normally, moist, muggy days wouldn’t be the best for a day in Golden Gate Park, but this day was definitely the exception.

Japan will always be my favorite country to visit, so I appreciate any opportunity that I get to visit a Japanese Tea Garden, especially if it is local. The garden has free admission Monday, Wednesday and Friday if you arrive by 10 AM. If not, I believe it costs $ 6 per person.
I was very surprised at how authentic the garden felt. It truly felt like we were in Japan! The garden is relatively small, but there are so many wonderful photo spots to choose from that you would spend about an hour there. They serve green tea, but the café was incredibly packed and had a long line outside. Sadly, I never got to try the sampling of their tea. The garden was very clean and well kept. It was also the first time I had the chance to see cherry blossoms in San Francisco, so that was pretty cool.
I’d highly recommend visiting the Japanese Tea Garden if you are a purveyor of Japanese culture like I am. Its authentic, affordable, and easy to find!

This place was extremely serene. I felt like I could just lay in the grass and spend days in this oasis. The garden is well kept and full of interesting landmarks to photograph and enjoy.
The price for regular admissions is $ 8 per person. It is discounted for locals if you have proof of residency. It is free Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 10am. We spent an hour here and honestly, I would’ve stayed longer if we didn’t have anywhere else to go. Parking is available on the street.
In comparison to the Japanese tea garden, this place is a little larger and has its own tea shop. The tea is a little on the pricey side. We ordered sencha tea and kuzumochi (very pricey). I’d rank the kuzumochi flavors as strawberry being my favorite, then green tea, and mango being the least. It comes in 2 pieces per flavor (total of 6 pieces).
There is a bathroom and gift store located inside the tea garden.
The only thing I wished this garden had was the ability to feed the koi fishes like the one in San Jose. Other than that, I definitely look forward to coming here again.

I couldn’t forget about my trip to Japan a few months before, and this Tea Garden really brought the memory back to me. As if the ornate gateway wasn’t a telltale sign enough, the beauty that lies within — especially the entrance scene of the tea hut in the midst of a peaceful pond — was simply remarkable. Even with so much green shrubbery around, the garden emits a peaceful sense of Zen and a stroll through this garden was so pleasant! The arrangement of plants was definitely well-​planned and everything was well-​maintained. All in full-​scale, the Shinto gate, the pagoda, and the bronze Buddha definitely reminded me of the beauty I have witnessed in Japan.
The garden is relatively small that can be strolled through within an hour. The tea room is extremely expensive so expect to eat only a light snack if you do decide to go. Free admission during early opening between 9 – 10 AM on Monday Wednesday Friday!

I wanted to see at least one thing in Golden Gate Park on a recent trip to SF and decided upon the Japanese Tea Garden. Admission was $ 8 and it was a beautiful stroll on the stone paths and little bridges winding through peaceful gardens and koi ponds. Several interesting sculptures and pagodas to look at along the way.
I went on a weekday afternoon and it really wasn’t crowded at all. Just a few people strolling through. On days that like it would be pleasant to sit on a bench and enjoy the peaceful surroundings but it’s a small garden so it wouldn’t be nearly as nice on a crowded day. It doesn’t take that long to walk through but there is a tea room and gift shop to browse through. A lovely way to spend an hour!

I haven’t been here for many years. Finally came back since my family wanted to take my cousin from Switzerland here. I was surprise there was a line even though there was only 1 hour left until closing time. I guess since its a holiday (new year day) and a lot of people have a day off.
Anyways, I totally forgot how small this garden is, but it is a great place to spend time with family and take nice pictures of the place and with family or yourself. You should try climbing over the bridge step… thats always one of the attractions at this garden. They have a small little shop if you want to buy souvenir. Since this place includes a tea area, it is a must go too… they have few teas, snacks, soup to try while enjoying the scenery and accompany and with friends.
If you’re a SF residents, you pay $ 6. For non-​SF resident, you pay $ 8. Only $ 2 difference.
They have hours differences for winter and summer. For Winter time, from November to February, its 9 am to 4:45 pm. For summer time, from March to October, its 9 am to 6 pm.

I loved the Japanese Tea Gardens the most out of all the other fantastic gardens to visit inside Golden Gate Park. Other reviewers mention crowds of tourists (of which I am one), but the Tuesday afternoon when my husband and I came it was relatively empty, quiet, and tranquil. Since we aren’t from San Francisco, there’s an $ 8 entrance fee which I gladly paid, and after spending about an hour in the park I would gladly pay it again. I love Japanese gardening, and this place has it all– water features, Koi ponds, carefully pruned trees and plants that just imbue peace everywhere.
There’s also some beautiful pagodas and statues around the park, and a stroll around the perfectly manicured lawns will make you wish your landscapers could replicate something similar at home. There’s a large drum bridge that is fun to climb and take a photo on top, but otherwise impratical as a means of crossing water.
There’s a small tea café and souviner shop in the park, so if you really can’t wait and have to have some sustanance, grab a pot of tea and some cakes to munch while you people watch and enjoy the beauty around you.
The history of the garden is so long and rich, so take the time to read the different plaques located throughout to educate yourself on the long and (at times) sad history of the family who has cared for and made the gardens the fantastic park they are today.

This tea garden can be summed up using three worlds — scenic, small, and touristy. I enjoyed wandering through the garden and admiring the exquisite architecture of its tea houses, bridges, and pagodas. There was also an adorable koi pond in the middle of the garden. However, the garden was overcrowded and noisy with the chitter chatter of fellow tourists, so there was no ideal tranquil environment of a typical tea garden to enjoy. Also, the $ 8 entrance fee was a bit pricey considering the small acreage of the tea garden.
It was a good experience to walk through the tea garden, but its a destination that only needs to be visited once. I definitely recommend coming here on MonWedFri before 10am for free admission if your schedule allows!

I came here over the summer and really enjoyed the visit. It really is quite beautiful and seems to elude tranquility. It features all kinds of classic Japanese style designs and architecture — plenty to see and take pictures of!
If you come on MWF and enter before 10am, you get in for free. Unfortunately, that also typically means more people, so pick which is more important to you. When I visited, we arrived just before 10am and didn’t have to wait to get in, but it was pretty crowded inside.
Also, the tea house is a bit pricey, but the matcha and desserts are amazing and worth a try if you’ve never had them before. Definitely a great place for a casual stroll and very picturesque.

I’m not sure how crowded this garden is on a regular basis, but when my boyfriend and I came it was packed. We had to wait in a line that was nearly 20 people long to get in, and once we got in were just surrounded by more people. This was in the afternoon on a beautiful summer weekend though, so I suppose that’s expected.
Don’t get me wrong, the garden is beautiful. Once you do find a spot that’s not full of tourists, it’s very peaceful. Lots of great spots for pictures!
We paid around $ 14 for being non-​residents, and once you’ve walked through it once I don’t think I would pay to return. A fun place to come at least once as a tourist or resident, but not worth paying to visit on multiple occasions.
I think my favorite thing to see was the bridge, but there were a lot of beautiful things in the garden. In comparison to the Japanese Garden in San Diego that I’m used to, this one was much bigger! So much more to see, and so much farther to walk. This one is better for those reasons, but the one in San Diego is much more peaceful because it’s less populated.

A beautiful oasis. Free some days/​hours, and discounts for SF residents. A perfect place for a stony saunter, take cool photos, and zen out.
Precicley & tenderly manicured and offers a new perspective for every season.

It was a beautiful experience. I’m not giving this 5 stars because it had too little to offer for the high entrance FEE.
I’ve seen better and bigger Japanese gardens that are completely free not only in the U. S but elsewhere in the world.
It has a very cozy and nice café inside, which I truly love. I like the seating, how it faces the garden or the park.
Green tea ice tea was truly well made.
Miso soup was quite alright.
Bite size sandwiches were amazing, tuna, cucumber and ham were the varieties.
Rice cakes weren’t the best.
All in all, good selection and good tasting items. Quite romantic to eat there too, especially when it’s warm to sit outside.
In short, I highly recommend their café inside. Garden itself is unfortunately not so special.

Before I was a Bay Area resident, I had vacationed in San Francisco and have fond memories of visiting the Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park. It was one of my favorite and most photographed spots. Fast forward several years and it’s still a joy to visit and I always make it a point to bring visitors here. While the beautiful staples of the scenery (such as the koi pond, pagodas, and arched bridge) are a constant, the landscape and lighting will vary based on the season. Come in spring for an array of flowers in bloom, while in the fall you’ll be treated to the colorful foliage.
It’s a calming happy place for me. Sure you can stroll through the place in 30 minutes or less, but take some time to meander the foot paths over the pond, gaze at the small waterfall and find a quiet bench to sit and just be for a little while. All this and it’s only $ 8, less if you’re an SF resident. One of my favorite spots in the city.

Amazing! The Japanese Tea Garden is a must do while visiting. I used to think that it wasn’t considered a vacation unless I was relaxing on the beach. This place proved me wrong. It is so peaceful and I felt as I was able to breathe better when we were here.
My husband and I brought our recently turned 4 year old here and were a little worried that she would get bored. Impossible. The garden is so interactive. My husband who isn’t easily impressed was all over the place, climbing bridges and trying to find other little gems.
*Parenting tip* Leave the stroller behind. There are several narrow pathways.

Another tourist spot on SF’s must do list would be the Japanese Tea Garden. The only other Japanese Tea Garden I’ve been was in Oregon last year so I was excited about seeing how SF’s one would be like.
There’s an entrance fee of $ 8 or $ 6 for residents with valid ID. I saw that if you enter before 10am on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays it’s free admission. So I would suggest you take advantage of that. It’s located inside the Golden Gate Park. There’s a lot of free street parking around but we decided to just park in the structure so we didn’t have to park far.
It’s known as the oldest public Japanese garden in the US. Once you step in you feel a sense of zen and calmness while walking through the whole garden. Although there’s a lot of tourists there, I had an amazing experience taking it all in enjoying the views and sculptures.
My favorite part was the mini bridge that you could go up carefully and view the garden from above and I also enjoyed the peaceful waterfall setting that surrounded the gift shop. We were on a time limit so we couldn’t stop in for a cup of tea. Perfect place to take picture of the landscape views. Of course, we took every picture opportunity throughout the whole place. It was awesome. They really maintain this place quite beautifully.
If you get a chance, you should also visit the Japanese Tea Garden in Portland, Oregon. You’ll be amazed.

What a lovely gateway spot! My love surprised me by taking me here and it was quiet and not a lot of people. Maybe cause it was still early in the morning.
I went to the one in San Jose and I’ve always wanted to go to this one even though this was is smaller I enjoyed it. We ate breakfast here and it was perfect. Again, not a lot of people which I was happy about, haha.
We had miso soup, edamame & iced matcha green tea (I loved it!). I didn’t expect it for the ice tea to taste like it tasted, it was refreshing! I loved it. Then we got the green tea ice cream which of course was yummy! :)
What a very cute place!

Finally got to go here! I’ve been wanting to check this place out for years! The Japanese tea house is a really cute nice spot to walk around. Perfect spot for photography and a place to enjoy some tea :) almost made me feel like I was in Japan, haha!
we tried the jasmine tea and the sencha, both were really good. My favorite one though has to be the green tea cheesecake. I’m not a cheesecake fan, but this has to be my favorite of all cheesecakes I’ve tried. We also got the variety mochi, I wasn’t really impressed but it wasn’t bad either.
*$ 8 admission
*free admission if you go early
*beautiful Landscape
*cute date spot

I was a little disappointed with my visit here. I’ve been to a couple of Japanese Gardens in the Bay Area, and I was excited to visit this one! But it seemed a bit small to me. It is beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but I had higher expectations… I guess because there was an entrance fee. And the other Japanese Gardens I’ve visited are just as beautiful, if not bigger — for free.
From what I remember, you can avoid paying a fee if you come between 9am and 10am. So just a tip! Maybe I’ll come back because I apparently missed the advertisements for getting my fortune and the yummy food they have near the entrance.

C’est magnifique !!! Je regrette juste que Le magasin de souvenirs soit a l’entrée, difficile d’y revenir en sortant si on suit Le chemin…
Quant au restaurant en plein centre c’est sympa, pas tres Cher, Mais mieux vaut etre connaisseur pour apprecier leurs thés servi traditionnellement sans possibilite d’avoir sucre ou miel…

Enoooorme déception car je n’ai, en faite, pas visité ce jardin.
Il se trouve dans le parc du Golden Gate. Et la raison pour laquelle nous né l’avons pas visité, c’est parce qu’il fallait payer 8 $ l’entrée !!! WTF !!!
J’ai eu l’impression d’être prise pour un pigeon et j’ai refusé de payer.
Ici à SF, beaucoup de jardins dans les parcs sont payant. C’est honteux je trouve.
Ce que j’ai adoré à Central Parc (à New York), c’est qu’on a accés à cette immensité de verdure et cela totalement gratuitement ! Un vrai oasis au milieu d’une jungle urbaine. C’est vraiment génial. Du coup je m’attendais à trouver la même chose ici ^^
Vu de l’entrée, ce jardin semblait magnifique. Dommage…

Ist schön. Der Eintritt ist ziemlich teuer und es ist eng mit den vielen anderen Touristen.
Es gibt aber dort innerhalb des Gartens ein japanisches Geschäft, wo man sehr schöné Sachen kaufen kann, z.B. Original japanische Teeservices oder kleine Figuren.

Me llevo a conocer este coqueto parque mi amiga Joy. Yo tenía intención de entrar al jardín botánico pero al llegar a la puerta y echar el ojo dentro, no pude resistir la tentación de entrar a relajarme.
El jardincito es pequeño, con fuentes, un canal, un puente de ascenso imposible, y bambúes y bonsáis.
En el interior hay una pequeña tienda de recuerdos caros y una tetería bastante agradable,