List of Japanese gardens in the United States facts for kids
A Japanese garden is a special kind of garden designed in a traditional Japanese style. These gardens are made to look like natural landscapes, but in a smaller, artistic way. They often include elements like rocks, water (or raked sand to represent water), plants, and sometimes bridges or tea houses. These gardens are meant to be peaceful places for quiet thinking and enjoying nature.
You can find many beautiful Japanese gardens across the United States. They offer a chance to experience a bit of Japanese culture and enjoy a calm, beautiful space right here at home. Many of these gardens are open to everyone and are great places to visit with family or friends.
Amazing Japanese Gardens Across the USA
| Name | City, State | What Makes It Special |
|---|---|---|
| Anderson Japanese Gardens | Rockford, Illinois | This 12-acre garden opened in 1978. It's a large and beautiful space to explore. |
| Japanese Peace Garden | Moses Lake, Washington | A peaceful 4-acre garden. |
| ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Features the Sasebo Japanese Garden, which is four acres big and opened in 2007. |
| Asticou Azalea Garden | Northeast Harbor, Maine | This 2.3-acre garden is designed like a Japanese "stroll garden," where you walk along paths to see different views. |
| Atlanta Botanical Garden | Atlanta, Georgia | Has a small Japanese garden that started in the 1960s. |
| Bainbridge Public Library | Bainbridge Island, Washington | A Japanese garden on the west side of the library, designed in 1998. |
| Bellevue Botanical Garden | Bellevue, Washington | Its "Yao Gardens" is a Japanese-style stroll garden. |
| Bellingrath Gardens and Home | Theodore, Alabama | Includes an "Asian-American Garden" with parts inspired by Japanese and Chinese gardens. |
| Birmingham Botanical Gardens | Birmingham, Alabama | Features a large 7.5-acre Japanese Garden with a tea garden, a dry rock garden (called karesansui), and a hill and stream garden. |
| Bloedel Reserve | Bainbridge Island, Washington | This huge 150-acre forest garden has a formal Japanese garden and a Japanese guesthouse. |
| The Botanic Garden at Oklahoma State University | Stillwater, Oklahoma | You can find a Japanese dry garden (kara san sei) and a Japanese tea garden here. |
| Brooklyn Botanic Garden | Brooklyn, New York | Home to a 3-acre Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, which opened way back in 1915. It also has a museum for bonsai trees. |
| Brookside Gardens | Wheaton, Maryland | Features a Gude Garden and a traditional teahouse. |
| Byodo-In Temple | Kaneohe, Hawaii | This is a non-religious shrine that looks like a 900-year-old Buddhist temple from Japan. It has beautiful landscaped gardens and opened in 1968. |
| California Scenario at South Coast Plaza | Costa Mesa, California | A 1.5-acre sculpture garden designed by Isamu Noguchi. It's part of a fancy shopping center. |
| Central Washington University Japanese Garden | Ellensburg, Washington | Designed by Masa Mizuno, this garden is located next to the Student Union Center. |
| Charles Wood Japanese Garden | Mobile, Alabama | Designed by Takeo Uesugi, this garden is a local treasure. |
| Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art | Nashville, Tennessee | This 55-acre botanical garden includes the "Shomu-en," also known as the pine-mist garden. |
| Chicago Botanic Garden | Glencoe, Illinois | Features the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden, a 17-acre lakeside garden with three islands. It also has a collection of nearly 200 bonsai trees. |
| Cleveland Botanical Garden | Cleveland, Ohio | Includes a Japanese garden designed by David Slawson, given as a gift in 1975. |
| Como Park Zoo and Conservatory | Saint Paul, Minnesota | The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory has the Charlotte Partridge Ordway Japanese Garden and a bonsai collection. |
| Culver City Julian Dixon Library Kaizuka Meditation Garden | Culver City, California | A quiet meditation garden at the library. |
| Dawes Arboretum | Newark, Ohio | The Japanese Garden here has a meditation house, a pond, and a rock garden. It was designed in 1963. |
| Delaware Park Japanese Garden | Buffalo, New York | This 6-acre friendship garden is located near the Buffalo History Museum. |
| Denver Botanic Gardens | Denver, Colorado | Their Japanese Garden is called "Shofu-en," meaning "Garden of Wind and Pines." |
| Descanso Gardens | La Cañada Flintridge, California | Features a Japanese teahouse and a Japanese-style garden built in 1966. |
| Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens | Dubuque, Iowa | Includes a large 14-acre Japanese garden with a 4.5-acre lake. It's a "wet strolling garden" where you walk around a pond. |
| Duke Farms | Hillsborough, New Jersey | The Japanese section has a small teahouse, a wooden bridge, and a dry garden. |
| Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden | Long Beach, California | This 1.3-acre garden is on the campus of California State University, Long Beach. |
| East–West Center | Honolulu, Hawaii | Features a "Seien" (Serene Garden) designed by Kenzo Ogata of Tokyo, along with a teahouse. |
| Fabyan Villa | Geneva, Illinois | This one-acre garden was installed in 1910. It has a pond, waterfall, moon bridge, and teahouse. |
| Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve | Buchanan Township, Michigan | Includes a Japanese "dry" garden designed in 1979. |
| Fort Worth Japanese Garden | Fort Worth, Texas | A 7.5-acre garden within the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, built in 1973. |
| Four Rivers Cultural Center | Ontario, Oregon | This 1.3-acre garden is a memorial to Japanese Americans from World War II. |
| Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens | Columbus, Ohio | Features a beautiful bonsai display. |
| Fuller Gardens | North Hampton, New Hampshire | The summer home of Alvan T. Fuller, it includes a Japanese garden with a koi pond. |
| Furman University Asian Garden | Greenville, South Carolina | Almost 2 acres with Japanese and other Asian elements, including a temple that was originally in Nagoya, Japan. |
| Ganna Walska Lotusland | Montecito, California | The Japanese Garden here has a Shinto shrine and a koi pond. |
| Garden of Serenity | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | Outside the Bethlehem Area Public Library, this garden was a gift from Tondabayashi, Japan, in 1971. It has raked sand, bonsai, and a tea house. |
| Garden of the Phoenix at Jackson Park | Chicago, Illinois | A peace garden originally built in 1893 for a big world fair. |
| Gardena Mayme Dear Library Japanese Garden | Gardena, California | This garden opened in 1964 and was designed by Takuma Tono. |
| Gardens of the World | Thousand Oaks, California | Their Japanese garden features an authentic Japanese Pagoda and a koi pond. |
| George and Sakaye Aratani Japanese Garden at Cal Poly Pomona | Pomona, California | A 1.3-acre Japanese garden built in 2003 and designed by Takeo Uesugi. |
| Hakone Gardens | Saratoga, California | An 18-acre Japanese estate with bamboo gardens, Zen gardens, strolling gardens, and tea houses. |
| Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden | North Salem, New York | About 7 acres, with art exhibits and programs. |
| Hannah Carter Japanese Garden | Los Angeles, California | Completed in 1961, this garden focuses on water, stones, and evergreen plants. It is not currently open to the public. |
| Haverford College Arboretum | Haverford, Pennsylvania | Includes the Denis Asian Garden and a Zen-style garden. |
| Hayward Japanese Gardens | Hayward, California | Designed by Kimio Kimura, over 3 acres with a koi pond, teahouse, and viewing spots. |
| Heathcote Botanical Gardens | Fort Pierce, Florida | Features a bonsai gallery with 100 bonsai trees and a Japanese garden designed in the 1960s. |
| Hermann Park | Houston, Texas | The Japanese Garden was designed in 1992 and includes a teahouse, waterfalls, and bridges. |
| Hershey Gardens | Hershey, Pennsylvania | Includes a Japanese garden with rare giant sequoias and Japanese maples. |
| Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens | Washington D.C. | Features a Japanese garden with a stream and pond, combining local and Japanese plants. |
| Huntington Library Botanical Garden | San Marino, California | The Japanese Garden has a moon bridge, a large bell, a real ceremonial teahouse, a Japanese house, koi ponds, a Zen Garden, and many bonsai trees. |
| Ichimura Miami Japanese Garden | Miami, Florida | Located on Watson Island. |
| Innisfree Garden | Millbrook, New York | This 150-acre garden mixes modern and romantic ideas with traditional Chinese and Japanese garden designs. |
| International Peace Gardens | Salt Lake City, Utah | Includes a Japanese garden as part of its international theme. |
| Ippakutei Tea House, Embassy of Japan | Washington D.C. | This is an authentic Japanese tea house and a copy of the famous rock garden at Ryōan-ji in Japan. |
| Japanese Friendship Garden | San Diego, California | A 12-acre garden in Balboa Park, designed by Takeo Uesugi. It has a bonsai collection and a teahouse. |
| Japanese Friendship Garden | San Jose, California | This 5.5-acre garden in Kelley Park has three koi ponds and is inspired by Japan's famous Korakuen Garden. |
| Japanese Garden | Lodi, California | A 3-acre garden in Micke Grove Regional Park, designed by Nagao Sakurai. |
| The Japanese Garden | Los Angeles, California | This 6.5-acre public garden is located in Van Nuys and was designed by Dr. Koichi Kawana. |
| The Japanese Garden at the Stillwater Community Center | Stillwater, Oklahoma | Opened in 1997, this garden shows the friendship between Stillwater and Kameoka, Japan. |
| Japanese Tea Garden at Central Park | San Mateo, California | Designed by Nagao Sakurai, it features a granite pagoda, tea house, koi pond, and bamboo grove. |
| Japanese Tea Garden | San Francisco, California | This 3-acre garden in Golden Gate Park is the oldest public Japanese garden in the U.S. It has ponds, a pagoda, a moon bridge, and a teahouse. |
| Japanese-American Cultural and Community Center | Los Angeles, California | Includes the James Irvine Japanese Garden, also known as "Garden of the Clear Stream." |
| JC Raulston Arboretum | Raleigh, North Carolina | Administered by North Carolina State University, it has a Zen garden with raked gravel and stone features. |
| Jo Ryo En Japanese Garden at Carleton College | Northfield, Minnesota | Located behind Watson Hall, this garden opened in 1976. |
| John P. Humes Japanese Stroll Garden | Mill Neck, New York | A 4-acre garden with a tea house, stone lanterns, and a waterfall. |
| Kubota Garden | Seattle, Washington | A 20-acre garden with a 4.5-acre landscaped core, started in 1927. |
| Kyoto Gardens of Honolulu Memorial Park | Honolulu, Hawaii | A cemetery with a three-tiered pagoda, a temple, and mirror gardens. |
| Kyoto Garden at Oklahoma Science Museum | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | This garden was a gift from Kyoto, Japan, in 1984, showing friendship between the cities. |
| Lakeside Park | Oakland, California | Includes a Japanese garden, bonsai garden, and a Torii gate garden at the Gardens at Lake Merritt. |
| Lauritzen Gardens | Omaha, Nebraska | This garden has a planned Japanese garden area. |
| Lendonwood Gardens | Grove, Oklahoma | Features the Japanese Pavilion Garden with a koi pond. |
| Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden | Richmond, Virginia | Includes an "Asian Valley" section. |
| Liliuokalani Park and Gardens | Hilo, Hawaii | A large 30-acre garden in the Edo-style, with bridges, koi ponds, pagodas, and a Japanese teahouse. |
| Lithia Park | Ashland, Oregon | Includes a Japanese garden. |
| Manito Park and Botanical Gardens | Spokane, Washington | Features the Nishinomiya Tsutakawa Japanese Garden, designed in 1967. |
| Massee Lane Gardens | Fort Valley, Georgia | Includes the Abendroth Japanese Garden with a tea house and koi fish. |
| Maymont Japanese Garden | Richmond, Virginia | Features a koi pond, a large waterfall, a torii gate, and rock gardens. |
| Memphis Botanic Garden | Memphis, Tennessee | Includes the Japanese Garden of Tranquility, designed in 1965 and redesigned in 1989. |
| Miami Beach Botanical Garden | Miami Beach, Florida | Includes a Japanese garden. |
| Micke Grove Regional Park Japanese Garden | Lodi, California | Designed by Nagao Sakurai and opened in 1965. |
| Minnesota Landscape Arboretum | Chaska, Minnesota | "Seisui Tei," or "Garden of Pure Water," shows a Japanese garden style from the Edo Period. |
| Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens | Delray Beach, Florida | Has two museum buildings, the Roji-en Japanese Gardens: Garden of the Drops of Dew, and a bonsai garden. |
| Muscatine Art Center Japanese Garden | Muscatine, Iowa | A small Japanese-style garden built around 1930. |
| Mytoi | Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts | This garden is operated by The Trustees of Reservations on Martha's Vineyard. |
| National Museum of the Pacific War | Fredericksburg, Texas | Includes the Japanese Garden of Peace, established in 1976. |
| New Orleans Botanical Garden | New Orleans, Louisiana | Includes the Yakumo Nihon Teien Japanese Garden. |
| New York Botanical Garden | Bronx, New York | Features a 2.5-acre Japanese rock garden. |
| Norfolk Botanical Garden | Norfolk, Virginia | The Japanese Garden was created in 1962 to honor Norfolk's sister city in Japan. |
| Normandale Community College Japanese Garden | Bloomington, Minnesota | A 2-acre garden on the college campus. |
| Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Includes the Japanese Courtyard Garden (1991) with bonsai trees, designed by Hoichi Kurisu. |
| Pine Bluff Japanese Garden | Pine Bluff, Arkansas | Located at the Pine Bluff Civic Center, this was a gift from Pine Bluff's sister city in Japan. |
| Point Defiance Park | Tacoma, Washington | The Japanese garden features a pagoda that was built in 1914. |
| Portland Japanese Garden | Portland, Oregon | A 5.5-acre garden with different sections like the Strolling Pond Garden and the Tea Garden. |
| Ro Ho En - Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix | Phoenix, Arizona | A 3.5-acre Japanese stroll garden with a tea garden and tea house. |
| Rotary Botanical Gardens | Janesville, Wisconsin | Built in 1989, this Japanese garden has gates, fences, a dry gravel sea, and a waterfall. |
| San Antonio Botanical Garden | San Antonio, Texas | Includes the Kumamoto En Japanese Garden, built in 1989 and inspired by a famous park in Japan. |
| San Antonio Japanese Tea Garden | San Antonio, Texas | This 11-acre garden in Brackenridge Park has shaded walkways, stone bridges, a 60-foot waterfall, and ponds with koi fish. |
| San Francisco Botanical Garden | San Francisco, California | Includes a Japanese-design moon-viewing garden. |
| San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin | San Jose, California | Located in Japantown, the temple's garden has a pagoda, a small bridge, and shaped plants. |
| San Jose Japanese Friendship Garden | San Jose, California | Located in Kelley Park, this 6-acre garden was inspired by Japan's Korakuen Garden and built by volunteers. It has a large koi pond, a teahouse, and many bridges. |
| Santa Barbara Botanic Garden | Santa Barbara, California | Includes an authentic Japanese teahouse and a demonstration garden. |
| Satsuki Gardens | Grove, Oklahoma | Designed by Dr. Leonard Miller. |
| Seattle Japanese Garden | Seattle, Washington | A 3.5-acre garden designed by Kiyoshi Inoshita and Juki Iida, completed in 1959. |
| Seiwa-en at Missouri Botanical Garden | St. Louis, Missouri | A 14-acre Japanese strolling garden, designed by Dr. Koichi Kawana. |
| Sherman Library and Gardens | Newport Beach, California | Includes a Japanese garden. |
| Shinwa-En Japanese Garden at CSU Dominguez Hills | Carson, California | Designed in 1978, it includes a tea house. |
| Shinzen Japanese Garden | Fresno, California | Located in Woodward Park, this 5-acre Japanese stroll garden opened in 1981 and includes a teahouse. |
| Shiojiri Niwa | Mishawaka, Indiana | A 1.3-acre Japanese strolling garden in Merrifield Park. |
| Shofuso Japanese House and Garden | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | A 17th-century style Japanese house with a 1.2-acre garden. |
| Shore Acres State Park | Coos Bay, Oregon | Includes a Japanese-style garden built around a 100-foot lily pond. |
| Shoto-Teien Japanese Gardens | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | Part of Terrace Park. |
| Sister City Park | Shawnee, Oklahoma | A park that celebrates sister city relationships. |
| Sister Mary Grace Burns Arboretum | Lakewood Township, New Jersey | Part of Georgian Court University, its Japanese Garden was designed by Takeo Shiota. |
| Smith College Botanic Garden and Lyman Plant House | Northampton, Massachusetts | Includes a Japanese garden. |
| Sonnenberg Gardens | Canandaigua, New York | The Japanese garden features a miniature mountainous Japanese landscape with torii gates and a tea house. |
| Springfield Botanical Gardens at Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park | Springfield, Missouri | Includes the 7.5-acre Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden with a koi lake, moon bridge, and tea house. |
| Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens | Akron, Ohio | Includes a Japanese garden designed in 1916. |
| Stanley Park | Westfield, Massachusetts | Includes an Asian garden and a Japanese tea house. |
| Storrier-Stearns Japanese Garden | Pasadena, California | A 1.45-acre hill and pond strolling garden. |
| Swiss Pines | Malvern, Pennsylvania | This garden is currently closed. |
| Tenshin-en at Museum of Fine Arts | Boston, Massachusetts | A quiet indoor Japanese garden for thinking. |
| Japanese Cultural Center, Tea House, and Gardens of Saginaw | Saginaw, Michigan | A 3-acre center with gardens. |
| Torrance Cultural Arts Center | Torrance, California | Includes the Pine Wind Garden (Sho Fu En). |
| United States National Arboretum | Washington D.C. | Includes the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, which has many tiny, carefully grown trees. |
| University of California Botanical Garden | Berkeley, California | The Asian Collection area has a Japanese Pool with traditional garden items. |
| University of Illinois Arboretum | Urbana, Illinois | Includes a Japanese arts teaching facility called Japan House, with a tea garden (2002) and a dry or Zen garden (2003). |
| Wa-Shin-An Japanese Tea House and Meditation Garden | South Hadley, Massachusetts | Located at Mount Holyoke College. |
| Wells Japanese Garden | Newberry, South Carolina | Features a temple, torii gate, moon bridge, and tea house. |
| Wesleyan University Japanese Garden | Middletown, Connecticut | The Shôyôan Garden at the Freeman Center for East Asian Studies. |
| Yashiro Japanese Garden | Olympia, Washington | A 0.74-acre garden. |
| Yuko-En on the Elkhorn | Georgetown, Kentucky | A 6-acre strolling garden. |
| Yushien at Amherst College | Amherst, Massachusetts | A quiet garden in the Japanese style, designed by Shinichiro Abe. |
| Zilker Botanical Garden | Austin, Texas | Includes the 3-acre Isamu Taniguchi Japanese Garden. |
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List of Japanese gardens in the United States Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.