Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Inside the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco [9/15]

Before we depart from San Francisco, there is one more stop I have to make, and that is the Japanese Tea Garden, located inside the Golden Gate Park (which is actually a huge area, and you will find universities and other objects inside the park). The Tea Garden is more intimate and private, and while we loved exploring the busy city life of San Francisco, it was a welcome change to enter this zen zone.



Inside the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco

The oldest public Japanese garden in the United States, this complex of many paths, ponds and a tea house features native Japanese and Chinese plants and trees. The garden contains sculptures and structures influenced by Buddhist and Shinto religious beliefs, as well as many elements of water and rocks to create a calming landscape designed to slow people down. Entrance is 8$, but tea and other refreshments cost extra.





I loved looking at the ponds and discovering the many varieties of fish that happily roam the waters. You can find other tourists here as well, but the garden is layed out in a way that you will never come across a huge crowd. Many paths lead through it and there always seems to be something that's waiting to be discovered, for example a moon bridge, that connects two parts of the shore. A moon bridge is a highly arched pedestrian bridge. It is named so because when reflected on the water, the full circle shape it creates resembles the moon.








The distinctive and particular architecture and design of the Japanese Tea Garden is influenced by various aspects of Japanese culture and, more specifically, Japanese religion. The most prominent of these being the ancient Japanese religion of Shintoism. In Shintoism, it is believed that the spirits of ancestors, and spirits of the gods themselves, are manifested in nature. The garden is designed so as to promote the happiness of these spirits, and to properly coexist with them. Though the design is meant to convey many different elements of nature, flow, and Zen, all fundamentals in Buddhism, it is done simply.





After our visit we roamed the streets some more. Just as the sun was staring to set I managed to grab a few street scenes. While the steep hills of San Francisco can be a nightmare to drivers, it's very interesting to see them in pictures. The architecture is varied and in every street you can discover houses that amaze you.






We really enjoyed our stay in San Francisco. It's a city full of culture, arts and life. It was really great to be able to explore the city by foot, something we would only be able to do once more in Las Vegas, later on. We spent 4 days in San Francisco, and on the morning of the 4th day, we packed our things, left our AirBnb apartment and headed into the Sierra mountain range towards Yosemite National Park. But more on that in the next installment.

End of Part Nine
To be continued...

25 comments:

  1. Everything is so green in these gardens and beautiful. Love the line of sculptured trees with their green tops along the avenue. Looking forward to go to the mountains with you.

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    1. Thanks for following along. I'm looking forward to share our mountain story with the rest as well :) It's going to be good!

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  2. Beautifully captured paradise!

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  3. I would love to roam round a Japanese garden. They have such talent and imagination for features and display.

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  4. Nett! So ein Japanischer Garten der größeren und gepflegteren Art ist wirklich immer ein echter Hingucker (und ein sehr dankbares) Fotomotiv. Alleine die Besucher eines solchen Gartens (für die er im eigentlichen Sinne gestaltet wurde) wirken irgendwie als Störkörper...
    ...zumal beim Fotografieren.
    Harmonie verlass' mich nie... ;-)

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  5. Great walk around the gardens
    and captures of a few of the cities beautiful homes.

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  6. San Francisco looks fantastic Mersad, and as you say those hilly streets are dramatic when you see cars racing up and over them in movie car chases :) Love the Japanese Tea Gardens and always try to visit when traveling to new places, so tranquil and serene.

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  7. Such a beautiful garden! We have a Japanese garden here in Portland too. Yes, San Francisco is a fun city to visit.

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  8. Ah--- that reminded me of some picnics in my past. Nice. See you in Yosemite.

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  9. i love japanese gardens, in Holland we have them too

    Thank you for your loyal participating every week. Hope you will stay part of 'our' meme and that you will have lots of fun with it ofcourse too.
    Have a nice abc-day / -week
    ♫ M e l ☺ d y ♫ (abc-w-team)

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  10. The grounds of the tea garden are so bright and green. I wonder what color it portrays in winter. Great post, Mersad.

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  11. The Japanese garden does look serene and beautiful. I love the shots of the buildings and the hills, too. My favorite, I think, is #15 (third from the bottom). It really shows the architectural style, the steepness of the hills, and a clear look at one of those gorgeous trees.

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  12. Wundervoller Platz und eh eine wundervolle Stadt die ich auch immer wieder besuchen würde. Danke dir für die tollen Fotos.

    Viele Grüsse
    N☼va

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  13. Ambijent je prelijep i opuštajući, obožavam sve vrste parkova i vrtova.

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  14. Ich will ja unbedingt auch mal nach San Francisco! Schade, dass wir das im Sommer nicht auch noch geschafft haben, aber es war einfach zuviel Strecke. Der Japangarten ist toll! Es ist einfach eine wunderschöne Art Gärten anzulegen...die Japaner habens echt drauf. Ich liebe ja auch dies "knubbeligen" Bäumchen ;-D! Ja und diese Bäume, die du da auf den Straßen von San Francisco fotografiert hast, die sind ja auch mal schick. Schade, dass hier sowas nicht wächst! GlG Anne

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  15. Many years ago I took my nephew to see this garden and other sites in SF. I love your photos of the place. I really love the street scenes too. I worked in San Francisco for about 6 months back in 2001. I really enjoyed being in the city.

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  16. the gardens are so beautiful. a nice respite, for sure!

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  17. Wow, I would love to visit this place. It is just so beautiful and interesting. Love those trees that lines the street, too.

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  18. Now I understand better why all the Japanese gardens I have visited at botanical gardens are so similar in design. I love their simplicity and tranquil feel. Your pictures are just beautiful.

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  19. LOVE the tea gardens.
    ROG, ABCW

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  20. What a beautiful garden! Your pictures have a dreamy feel to them .. very lovely!

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  21. Such a peaceful spot!

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  22. So peaceful. I could watch the koi all day!

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  23. Diese Bäume in der einen Straße sind megacool.
    LG

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  24. Beautiful! It's a wonderful gardens to visit! Glad you enjoyed San Francisco!

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