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From what I hear, this place has changed but I went a about a year ago and loved every minute of it. My "date" and I took the tour of San Fran and it brought us to the Japanese Tea Garden, and after a night of drinking and partying, he and I both enjoyed the peacefulness of the garden. Got our tea, and took in the scenery. It really gave me the illusion of being in Japan, it's like a vacay in a vacay. This place is just beautiful, especially if you are the type of person to love culture.
I didn't find it to be overpriced at all, at least not that I can remember, it really is a place to just recharge yourself. If you are going to be in san fran, take a walk through the Japanese Tea Garden, well worth it.
An absolutely treasure in S.F.
So wonderful to enjoy.
Make sure to visit this place.
Ethereal.
A place of sanctuary within the city where you can feel tranquil or simply recharge.
Sure it's geared towards the tourists but it doesn't mean the locals can't enjoy it. Why not enjoy this gift to the city once in a while with a peaceful walk around the place? Besides, it also provides an escape and you can imagine transforming yourself somewhere in Japan.
The Moon Bridge and Pagoda are worth seeing and exploring. They even filmed some scenes here from the movie Memoirs of a Geisha....but that novelty can quickly wear off as it has a lot more to offer, and more authentic.
If you wanna get your Zen on, then a trek here would do your mind some good.
Serene, beautifully landscaped, getting lost in your private nook can happen here at the Garden. I wish there were more pagodas though. One star docked for the relatively high price. I didn't indulge in tea, but I bet that's a lovely way to spend an afternoon with a friend.
Not as great as I'd hoped for, especially for that price. Was pretty small, and had people walking around on their cell phones. The two guys at the front gate taking money were a bit cold and snotty. Too expensive, and not as pretty as I'd hoped.
I love the idea of a Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco Park!
My first visit was very tranquil and serene. We savored the peaceful and natural sounds of the trees, birds, water running through and occasionally the sounds of the Japanese women serving tea.
At this visit, I wasn't as impressed as the first time. There was a very loud couple with an incredible laughter of a hyena, which took away the savoring sounds of the peaceful and natural environment. And I noticed that the tea garden is missing cherry blossoms and the Japanese air and energy which would remind you that you are in Japan. There are no words to describe, but for those that have been in Japan, will know exactly what I am referring to.
I still give it 4 stars because of my peaceful partner was again beside me.
Overpriced. In complete disrepair. No landscaping done. Only pro is it's relatively quiet.
A real treasure in San Francisco - great for tourists and locals alike. Great scenery, a pagoda and plants and a "zen" garden feel. Don't miss it! (And you really can have tea there!)
Make that 3.5 stars. The garden really is pretty, but NOT worth the money!
So if you really want to see it go on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday morning between nine and ten o'clock, it's free then.
This is a very cool place to visit when you're in Golden Gate Park! The gardens are wonderful to walk through and are only complimented by the fun teas that you can try...
There is a lot of artistic beauty tucked into the garden - such as statues and little shrines...
This is the type of place that tourists should see at least once...and locals too :) Theres a certain time frame that you can visit and get let into the park for free, too! Check it out!
The setting is amazing, but the service and actually tea leave much to be desired. How difficult is it to make a good pot of tea? And on top of that, it's $12 for a basic pot of green tea. So not only do you have to pay an entry fee to get into the Garden, which is understandable, but you have to overpay for a very mediocre pot of tea. I know I may sound negative, but I just can't justify going again.
If they could manufacture yellow memories in the tea garden, they would. They'd sell them for $9.99 at the Gift Shop. Not only would they sell them at the gift shop but they'll come in several artificial flavors: Tangy Sensazn Citrus, Golden Arch Lemon and Pagoda Pear.
Any semblance of authenticity is out the door when you come to $5 heaven. The tea is average. Snacks that come with the tea taste prepackaged and bland like the Snak Club "Oriental Mix" at an airport gift shop. The fortune cookies that were invented here over a century ago similarly carry the prepackaged plastic incubator flavor that ends a meal at Pick Up Stix.
The perks of the tea garden include greenery, water, bridges and as many chirpy tourists with cameras as each attraction can bear. Yellow memories are short-lived here when the end of the daze leads you to an exit or when the only seats available to sit on at are the ones that face the path to a bathroom. My memories unfortunately did not take me past my first sip of tea.
GG park gouging continues with $7 entry here. Tea is meh and prepackaged snacks are about as Japanese as Chow Mein.
I think if you've never been here, it is absolutely worth a visit. The tea garden is serene, very well maintained, and the people who work here are very nice and friendly. It must not be easy to keep up the smile and the cheer when they see so many tourists come through every day, but they manage to do it any way. The tea ceremony is something worth experiencing and you should make sure to do it. But, you don't have to. Simply come here in the middle of the day and enjoy the serenity and the beauty of this little oasis right in the middle of our city.
If you have an hour to spare, lose yourself in this pristine garden which features koi ponds (I saw only one koi...), bonsais, bamboo trees, zen garden, shinto pagoda, bronze and stone sculptures intermingled with aesthetically pleasing greenery.
My mom and I decided to go to the teahouse and sit for a moment. We were ignored the first 15 minutes because there was just so many people there! This part is really not essential to your experience, as I overheard the servers speaking in Chinese! but if you're curious, tea service is $3.95 per person, which includes a pot of tea (choose among green, jasmine, oolong and the toasted rice. This is the loose leaf kind) and a bowl of crunchy assorted cookies and Japanese rice crackers. I don't get this, but you'll find fortune cookies in there too.
On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, plan to arrive at 9am. Not only will you get in for free, you'll find less tourists at the garden, which means more zen for you.
It's a must see for the average tourist, but I would say skip it if you're a local. I only say this because it costs $5 to get in and it would only take you about 5-10 minutes to see everything. You could save your $5 and see the rest of Golden Gate Park instead. If you end up coming here, remember that this is cash only.
The best part of the whole experience was the tea itself. After hopping from one tourist spot to another, it was nice just to sit down and mellow out for a while. We ordered the toasted rice tea because it was something different from the standard green tea they serve. It came to us piping hot and had a warm nutty flavor. We paired the tea with some Japanese sweets which complimented the rice tea.
The garden was lush and the koi were plentiful. There are a lot of great photo-ops available by the bamboo, the tiny waterfalls, the Buddha, and the steep bridge. The only thing that took me out of the "zen" were all the signs in the wonton font. It looked more comical than anything else.
On my recent trip to San Francisco, the Japanese Tea Garden was one of the highlights. Trying to find it though brought back memories of childhood, playing ZELDA and being lost in the forest, and coming back to the same place over and over again. Hence, the signs leading there don't make a lot of sense, much like the floor arrows in Ikea.
But once you find it, the tea garden is quite peaceful. They have a nice little sit down area where you can order tea and Japanese sweets. A great place to chill and read a book. And I absolutely love the scenery - you can take some cool pictures here with Budhas. I will we had something like this in Los Angeles.
A few friends and I decided to have a weekend adventure in Golden Gate Park. We started off in the Japanese Tea Garden where we hung out with Buddha, climbed a crazy bridge, meditated next to the beautiful coy-less coy ponds, and waited quite a while for some not so great tea. The $5 entry fee was worth it to see the peaceful spot, but I think spicing it up and calling it a $5 "donation" would have been a better strategy. This is the perfect place for photographers to spend the afternoon getting some Japanese inspired landscape shots.
Check out the other spots we went to in GG park during our adventure and see some pics we took here http://www.sanfrancisc...
This place is a pretty cute tea garden. I've been to a few, but this was one of the bigger ones. Its a nice little place to walk around with a date or check out during the day--and its admission is pretty cheap ($4?). There's one free morning a month (some Tuesday or Wednesday) which is worth looking into...
I think besides the pleasantry of the garden itself, the tea house is my favorite thing about this place. On a cooler day where you are walking around the park but can still see your breath, getting tea is so relaxing. Chatting with friends in an exposed outdoor tea house munching on cookies overlooking pagodas, koi ponds, and manicured trees... its really amazing that in SF this snacking experience is only 3 dollars.
Definitely a fun place to check out...
I've always loved this garden. Serene, beautiful, calming, zen, whatever you want it call it, it's well worth the $5 entry fee. You walk around, you see the coy pond, you walk up that huge bridge, you take some picture, you leave happy!
After lunch we decided to check out the Japanese Tea Garden in GG Park. Gosh, I have not been here since I was a little girl. It is very peaceful and very zen like here. I enjoyed the gardens and it did give me some peace and serenity. Of course the gift shops helps too. I end up picking a cute little turtle to add to my key chain. Its a great place to walk around and take pictures.
This is just a review for the park as I did not have any tea. The park is pretty large and definitely beautiful. There are a variety of things to see.
It wasn't very busy when I visited, I appreciated being able to take my time to photograph interesting things without feeling like I'm blocking someone's shot. The curved bridge was the most interesting thing there--it was pretty tough to climb to the top if it, I was deathly afraid of losing my footing.
A word of advice to any visitor: pay attention to the small stone bridges! Some are not straight-edged, so if you are not paying attention while crossing, you might fall into any of the many ponds! No, I am not speaking from experience... *whistles*
Extremely Disappointing - From far away, everything is a "wow," when you get up close and personal, that changes to an "eww"
A lot has changed in the fifteen years between my first and second visit to the Japanese Tea Garden. It isn't as grand and beautiful as I remembered it to be. The garden looks dated and in desperate need of a facelift. If you look at each building, gate, or pagoda, you can see paint chipping off and things that are broken.
The garden is not bad by any means, but there are dozens of Japanese gardens in California and most of them are probably newer and nicer than this one. It also costs $5 to enter (and no discount for WF employees).
On a positive note, the garden is well-located next to the De Young museum and the Academy of Sciences. Street parking is not too hard to find either.
Nice, but been there, done that
If you're a fan of botanical gardens, I think you probably seen similar things before. Maybe it was just me, but I wasn't too impressed by the all the Japanese architecture. The $5 admission fee made this place even more overrated. The only good thing is that it have a really high angle bridge that is fun to climb and take pictures on, if you can fight off all the other tourists and their kids.
Fighting over stale snacks with squirrels and pigeons has never been so fun. The garden is serene and beautiful, and it fun for all ages. The teahouse is an odd experience with, as I mentioned, the squirrels and pigeons, a decent pot of tea, fascinating people watching, and waitresses in traditional garb dishing out your tea efficiently in a cramped but bizarrely calming Californian oasis.
This was a cute, small garden, but I've really been to better Japanese gardens in California. Though the signs out front said that entry that day was free, we were charged $5 when we got in (not much, but still the principle matters) and walked around for about 20 minutes before ending up at the tea shop inside.
The tea shop was over-priced, and their green tea wasn't even that good. It ended up going bitter really fast, and the leaves looked like the chopped-up remnants of some other, better tea. Seeing how it's supposed to be a tea garden, I'd figure they'd put a lot more effort into their actual tea. I guess they just cut down on costs by buying the cheap stuff, figuring that most of the people in the gardens are tourists and won't be returning anyways.
Bad experiences aside, the actual gardens are very well-cared for, and were definitely beautiful. This is a great stop for people visiting San Francisco, but probably isn't something to return to after having been once.
This place is beautiful, it looks like a real tea garden you would see in Japan. I was just disappointed that they removed the man-made waterfall. But other than that, this place is very peaceful and beautiful to walk through. The bamboo plants and the Japanese bridges gives it a nice touch.
I live close to the Golden Gate park on the Outer Richmond side so I don't have to go far to enjoy the beauty and serenity this wonderful Japanese Tea Garden offers.
In the spring you can find the Cherry Blossoms in full bloom in and around the park. Big pink, lavender, soft white and velvety colors that captivate you. Also the red maple is so beautiful in the spring contrasting against the lush moss that is in and around the landscaping.
We opted for the full service. After sitting down in the tea house I ordered the Jasmine tea and it comes with a bowl of complimentary snacks which are not authentic but still good. A fortune cookies is not Japanese, ok. But, I digress.
After sipping tea and looking out over the peaceful pond filled with small carp and just the slightest trickle of water careening off rocks we toured the garden. Very serene and quiet in the morning before all the bus loads of tourist arrive. Go early ok.
You can even get in the park for free on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9-10 am. Of course if you arrive after that it is just 5 bucks. Save your receipt because it is good for the entire day.
Oh and ladies...the restrooms are for the most part clean and well-maintained so if you decide after leaving you have to go...then flash your receipt and jackpot..you're in!
Another reason we are so lucky to live in San Francisco.
I like this place. It's very Zen. The gardens are gorgeous and it's very peaceful and beautiful.
There's no booze however, just tea and some great crackers and cookies. Yes it's touristy, SO. I am a nerd, a fabulous sexy touristy nerd.
My other fab touristy friends always like to visit it when they are in town too!
Not to be a negative Nancy, but this place is pretty skip-able, unless the following applies to you:
A. You're a tourist
B. You've never been to Japan
C. You've never been to San Francisco
D. You've never been outside of Iowa
E. You spend a large % of your disposable income on Naruto comics, Dragonball Z bootleg DVD's and Faye Valentine manga
The grounds crew does do a good job of getting the shrubbery trimmed, the garden groomed, and the faux Japan persona upheld. If you visit early enough, you may get a few moments of peace before the inevitable rush of tourists descend upon the ground, snapping pictures and talking about how cool of a movie 'The Last Samurai' was.
The tea itself is a bit overpriced, but comes out fresh and hot, accompanied by oddly chosen accouterments in the form of a small bowl of stale rice crackers and fortune cookies. However stale as these snacks may be, try and restrain yourself from feeding it to the local water fowl, as they've grown quite bold (and foul tempered) from the frequent feedings from guests.
Fun fact: Not that it really matters, but the ladies working at this joint are actually of Chinese descent. Ditch the kimono's gals, your act is up.
I love coming here and just sitting down for a moment and taking in the trees. It's quiet and relaxed considering the people that are filing by, but it's a great slice of Japan in the park.
Make the trip in May to catch some of the Cherry Blossoms!
i guess it's a pretty neat place if you've never actually been to japan or much around asia.
went here once but i wasn't blown away.
i think i had higher expectations of this place... but it's difficult to awe me with gardens like these after visiting say the botanical garden in singapore :)
I visited the Tea Garden this past weekend when family was in from out of town. New to the area myself, it was definitely a good "tourist" thing to do. I was a little shocked at first by the $5 charge to get in but it was well worth it. A beautiful world lies inside these walls with plenty to explore.
We enjoyed tea at the tea house with lots of almond cookies and snacks. (We went on a good day. There was an event schedule in Golden Gate park that kept people away from the gardens so we didn't wait long for seating.)
The gardens and ponds were beautiful. I will have to go back one day with a good book and enjoy staying there for a longer amount of time.
Oh, and I can't forget the tall bridge. I felt like a big kid on a playground!
I love this place. I have been coming here since I was a little kid with my mom and to this day I still get excited to come back. I know some people think that 5 dollars is a bit much to view the (relatively small) garden but I think its worth it. It's a very tranquil setting with beautiful manicured plants and a nice little coy pond.
I always like to conclude my visit with a stop at the tea room. Not sure if its the best tea in the world but its a good place to relax and have good conversation.
We had visited the free Japanese tea garden in Central Park in San Mateo a couple of weekends ago...our two year old was fascinated by the number of koi in the pond and walking over the comfortable bridge there. Yes, it was small.. yes, it looked like it needed a bit of pruning but it was utterly charming for all of us...
The last time I had been to the tea garden was 15 years ago when I was a child and had really pleasant memories of the experience. It was zen like...
Now, I wish we had saved our $5 admission fee and avoided this place. It really felt like a bit of a tourist trap..yes, we went on a particularly busy day (the 4th of July) and the grounds were mantained well but it was extremely small considering the fee and crowds and really just seemed like a place people were going for photo ops. The tea house also seemed really crowded and took away from the calming influence as I hoped. And there were such few koi in the pond!
If you're in Chicago, I would highly recommend going to the Chicago Botanical Gardens and their Japanese garden... or just head to San Mateo and their free one which is much better!
In terms of landscaping and scenery, the Japanese Tea garden is beautiful. It's a little (but surprisingly large!) place to sit down, relax, and take in a wonderful view, especially if you have just finished going through the other museums in the area. The garden itself is a very calm, 'zen' place to see what things could be like if you had some extra cash and a backyard, and is close to 'tranquil' as you're going to get in the Sunset District....
Assuming there aren't a bunch of punk kids running around. I swear, when I went there there was this group of kids (I'd say around 14-17) just running around treating it like it was their yard! Ugh!!! Complete way to ruin the mood and serenity of the situation.
A little more disconcerting is the entry fee ($5, cash only, with some free days) which while not exorbitant, is kind of a small sting, especially if you get stuck paying for parking (we managed to find a space nearby). Even more disconcerting is the tea shop. This is going to sound bad, but at the Tea Shop, Cantonese can be clearly heard as the waitresses mill around. It's not bad-- everyone's gotta get employees and with so many Chinese folks in San Fran, it's bound to happen, but for me (or anyone who doesn't lump us all together with a dismissive "them Orientuhls"), it's a moment of cognitive dissonance, made worse when you realize that the tea they serve you is CHINESE. We passed on the $4 per person tea.
In addition, skip the gift shop unless you want something specifically from the Tea Garden-- most of the souvenirs are dinky trinkets from Chinatown, and you're better off driving a few blocks down to Irving street, enjoying some Chinese food and tea, and getting those knick knacks there.
Overall, this is a great experience. Stay away from the gift shop and tea store, and you'll find a lovely place to waste an hour or two enjoying some really, really, really, really, really (really!) good gardening.
People are right when they say we don't even get complimentary tea! I was almost tempted to sit down for tea but thought it wasn't worth it since we had to pay an entrance fee anyways.
Overall it IS beautiful, although it is small and I don't recall seeing koi fish either. That's not a big deal for me.. though. I still enjoyed my time just think this place should give complimentary tea to their patrons that pay a visit.
Photogenic fun in a miniature, manicured setting, the Japanese Tea Gardens can be either a local place for repeat visits or a one-time tourist trap. It will refresh your senses - if you let it - or just make you frustrated at the crowds and gift shop. Sadly, most people come to consume things here and to hide behind the lens of their cameras. If you actually look at the plants, ponds, stones, and bridges, listen to the wind and the water, and allow the tranquility inherent in such a place of beauty to wash over you, then you will forget the rest. After leaving, stroll through the free admission botanical gardens in Golden Gate Park as well (although donations are appreciated, and definitely appropriate).
Been wanting to check out the Japanese Tea Garden for some time. My gf has also been bugging me to come here for about 6 months so finially checked it out on friday and it was okay at best. We enjoyed about an hour of walking around the garden taking photos and for $5 it was fair and helps support taking care of the garden but I would not plan on spending more than an hour and not spending more than $5 on admission. If you can make it on friday between 9am - 10 am it is free.
And if you have never been you can grab a pot of tea that is charged per person and comes with a bowl of cookies and crackers but it way over priced for what it is and is def catered toward tourists as the cost for two was almost $9.
I am on a quest to visit all of the Japanese gardens throughout the U.S. This was my first visit to Golden Gate Park and honestly the only aspect that mattered to me was the Japanese Tea Garden. The rest of the park is just that, a park.
The Japanese Tea Garden is not as extensive as the Japanese Garden at the Huntington, but it is much prettier. Kind of small to merit a $5 admission charge but I suppose the upkeep is rather costly.
What I loved the most was the beautiful cherry blossoms. Outside of Japan and Washington, this place had the most abundant cherry trees. They are breathtakingly beautiful this time of year and tend to draw large crowds. Therefore, be warned, this park was packed with visitors on a Friday afternoon!
Want to go back in the Fall when the Japanese Maple (momiji) turn colors. It will definitely give a different flavor to the place!
I believe this garden deserves at least one visit in a lifetime!
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