Japanese Tea Garden

The Japanese Tea Garden is the oldest public Japanese garden in the United States, defined by the tall, orange, five-tiered pagoda that rises above the surrounding trees. It began as a temporary exhibit for the eighteen ninety-four California Midwinter International Exposition, a world’s fair held in Golden Gate Park. When the fair ended, the city opted to keep the site, and Japanese immigrant Makoto Hagiwara was hired to manage it.