Hakone Gardens

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A bridge over the koi pond

Hakone Gardens is a traditional Japanese garden located in Saratoga, California, USA. It claims to be the oldest Japanese-style residential garden in the Western Hemisphere. Notable features include a bamboo garden, a Zen garden, a strolling garden (the Hill and Pond Garden), tea houses, and the Cultural Exchange Center, a replica of a 19th century Japanese home and storefront.

1 History
- 1.1 Film History
2 See also
3 External links

[edit] History

In 1916, two San Francisco arts patrons, Oliver and Isabel Stine, intending to build a summer retreat, purchased the 18 acre (73,000 m²) site on which Hakone now stands. Inspired by her trips to Japan, Isabel Stine modeled the gardens upon (and named them after) Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. She hired Japanese landscape artists and architects to design the gardens and the Upper "Moon Viewing" House. More buildings were added in later years by Stine and by subsequent owners.

In 1966, the City of Saratoga purchased Hakone Gardens, then in disrepair, in order to protect it. The Hakone Foundation, a non-profit organization, was established in 1984 to restore and enhance the gardens independently of public funding. As of 2005 the gardens are open to the public and the various community facilities are often used for cultural events.