22. February 2025
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Entertain & Relax

San Diego Japanese Friendship Garden (Pictured Story)

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Balboa Park in San Diego has so many different museums and attractions in Stock. I already took you to the Comic-Con Museum, the San Diego Automotive Museum or the San Diego Model Railroad Museum. In this Pictured Story, it is rather time to hang out and enjoy nature. I take you to the Japanese Friendship Garden at the same place.

 

Japanese Friendship Garden – Location & Admission

The Japanese Friendship Garden is located rather centrally in Balboa Park in San Diego. The main entrance is located close to the eye-catching Spreckels Organ Pavilion. There is also a Lower Garden entrance in its South. Apart from numerous museums ad exhibitions as well as the San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park also holds several options to refresh yourself. Parking is free, you should arrive early on peak days, though.

The Japanese Friendship Garden is opening daily, from 10:00 to 18:00. Admission closes one hour before park closing. You should, however, at least allow for 90 minutes to have a relaxing visit. Adult admission is 16 USD. However, the garden is also included in the Balboa Park Explorer Pass, which is likely the more reasonable option for visitors.

 

Japanese Friendship Garden – Services

Inside the Japanese Friendship Garden, you have numerous services. Apart from two bathroom locations, there is a tea house with traditional tea ceremonies close to the main gate and a snack point close to the gift shop at Inamori Pavilion.

The gift shop is actually very nice and has some Japanese-featuring souvenirs in stock.

 

Impressions Japanese Friendship Garden

My visit to San Diego was during the 2023 Christmas season. The grounds are slightly hilly, but can be easily accessed. The walk through the park feels like a short trip to Japan, indeed. The grounds are very well maintained and come with different sections and special exhibits. The style feels very harmonic, some statues and similar items lead to a very atmospheric impression. There is also an artificial river and some Koi pools.

While some other parts of Balboa Park might feel rather packed and stressful, the Japanese Friendship Garden is a very peaceful place. There are numerous spots where you can just calm down and relax and enjoy nature. I also loved the wide range of different plants. Some of the trees in the parks have been brought from Hiroshima. They survived the nuclear bombing during WWII. There are also some buildings with exhibitions, like the bonsai exhibit. I really enjoyed this part of our Balboa Park visit, especially as it is a nice contrast to the museums and other places there.

 

Japanese Friendship Garden – Exhibits

The Japanese Friendship Garden also features some buildings with exhibits. Thus, the place is fully named Japanese Friendship Garden and Museum. The garden is definitely the highlight of the visit, but these buildings lead to a nice glimpse into Japanese arts and culture.

 

Flyctory.com’s Botanical Gardens

These are all Flyctory.com postings on Botanical Gardens:

 

Flyctory.com in San Diego

Here are all my postings related to San Diego in California:

 

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