Red lacquerThis Sunday morning I went to the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco. Admission was $4. Since I wanted to make to most of the entrance fee, I spent around 1.5 hours there and snapped as many photos as possible. One reason I like photography is that it allows me to freeze time for a moment and enjoy it later at my leisure. Usually when I look at my pictures in the comfort of my home, I notice details that I had missed when I was there.
The garden is "klein aber fein" (small, but nice) as the Germans would say. There is a famous bridge that you literally have to climb with your hands and feet because it's shaped like a semi-circle. Also, there are little winding pathways and koi in the pond. The pond is somewhat murky, so you might not notice the few koi swimming around. Photographers love the Garden because it is so picturesque. In addition to the aforementioned structures, you also have red lacquered pavilions, a bronze Buddha statue, a pagoda a tea house and much more.
The Garden was built by Makoto Hagiwara for the International Expo in 1894. The Hagiwara family maintained the Garden until 1942 when they were sent to internment camps during WWII. Today, it has become a magnet for tourists and locals alike who may want to see a bit of Japan close to home.
As I was making my way towards to exit, I couldn't help but head towards the gift shop because of a charming little tinkling sound made by the many wind chimes that were hanging outside. Since it was a windy day, the chimes created an otherworldly and mysterious atmosphere with its delicate tinkling. Apparently according to my mother, Chinese people don't like wind chimes because it reminds them of ghosts. Go figure. Here's a picture of the wind chime clappers fluttering in the wind.
The garden is "klein aber fein" (small, but nice) as the Germans would say. There is a famous bridge that you literally have to climb with your hands and feet because it's shaped like a semi-circle. Also, there are little winding pathways and koi in the pond. The pond is somewhat murky, so you might not notice the few koi swimming around. Photographers love the Garden because it is so picturesque. In addition to the aforementioned structures, you also have red lacquered pavilions, a bronze Buddha statue, a pagoda a tea house and much more.
The Garden was built by Makoto Hagiwara for the International Expo in 1894. The Hagiwara family maintained the Garden until 1942 when they were sent to internment camps during WWII. Today, it has become a magnet for tourists and locals alike who may want to see a bit of Japan close to home.
As I was making my way towards to exit, I couldn't help but head towards the gift shop because of a charming little tinkling sound made by the many wind chimes that were hanging outside. Since it was a windy day, the chimes created an otherworldly and mysterious atmosphere with its delicate tinkling. Apparently according to my mother, Chinese people don't like wind chimes because it reminds them of ghosts. Go figure. Here's a picture of the wind chime clappers fluttering in the wind.
1 comment:
You know, the best thing about the Japanese Tea garden?
The Penny machine... :-)
I love this kind of souvenir from all the different locations, I visited in CA
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