Hakone Estate and Gardens in Los Gatos

Beautiful garden and a great venue for weddings. I was here delivering another gorgeous custom wedding cake for Cake Expressions!

4.7 stars - a little getaway from the BayareaHakome Estate & Gardens is a must-see if you are visiting Saratoga! Feels like I’m in a corny but cute “Christmas movie” when visiting Downtown Saratoga.I love Japanese Tea Gardens! The feeling of walking in Japan! Completely authentic, with a koi pond, pagoda, bridges, rock garden, and a bamboo forest. A little escape from reality.The garden is a great visit for families, couples, and friends to relax and enjoy the gardens, especially if you love plants and appreciate nature!There’s also a picnic table area, so you can have a picnic, though I would have fun in downtown Saratoga (2 mins away.Admission is $12 per adult, which is reasonable for about an hour or two of serenity!

Very good garden, small water falls, fishpond and beautiful plants and trees. A place to gat internal peace. Walking trail expansion and new trails development work is in progress. Some parts of the park are closed for visitors.

I drove from San Mateo to visit the Hakone Gardens in Saratoga. The customer service counter is located within the gift shop. As I ordered my tickets we were charged full price. However, when we entered the garden area we noticed many signs that advised us of closed garden areas. We both felt cheated for the simple fact that our access was limited because of the event. I believe that management should change the entrance fee policy when there is a event that limits access to the garden area. I propose charging half price during shared space events.

Very nice place to experience Japanese garden and tea ceremony. Even the experience had been simplified from traditional ceremony, it worth attending and enjoying. The tea ceremony is strongly recommended, the organizers are very patient to explain everything.

This is worth the drive up to Saratoga.Its peaceful, great walks, paths and scenery.Make sure to sit still , smell, take in the sights and sounds around you.

A nice way to sample Japan without the plane ticket. Relaxing park in a gated off area. Features a small rock garden, Koi pond, Japanese style buildings, an art exhibition that changes, lots of foliage (including a bamboo gardenand shade, and a waterfall. I wish the bamboo garden was more dense and there was Japanese food and snacks available. But it is fine as it is. I like the size of Morikami gardens in Florida better. But this place is still a sight to behold.

$12 adult is not value for money. Just 10 minutes for some normal trees & so many restricted areas

Very beautiful Japanese garden. There was a wedding the day I went, so unfortunately I didnt get to see everything due to a good portion of the garden being closed off. Kind of a bummer to pay full price for admission and not have access to all of it, but thats okay. I still enjoyed myself, and really enjoyed feeding the koi fish in the pond. Definitely recommend buying the fish food in the gift shop when you buy admission.

They emptied the main ponds and rehomed their koi fish to a much smaller pool. Nice and shaded estate to stroll around or do outdoor portraits.

The place is a really beautiful spot to visit. On the way there, theres going to be a little old downtown area where you can get food and a park close by.Drive slow once you get super close because the entrance is to the left and you might miss it since its pretty subtle. You have to go up a hill to get here but its really worth the drive if you want to visit a property thats super clean, vivid, and scenic.The area itself seems to be super safe, perfect to take kids, friends, family, or anyone special.I recommend coming when its cherry blossom season (I think mid March to April), or when the wisteria is blooming. (early to mid springBut even in December the place was a sight to see.The ONLY complaint I have is that throughout the garden there are signs that point you where to go, I dont necessarily like it because its an eyesore and people dont like being told where to go so its annoying to look at. Theres nothing wrong with signs that have information on it though.There IS an entrance fee which is $10, but no parking fee.Theres a bathroom upon the entrance to the garden and it is very clean.You can feed the koi for $2 (per bag of foodthey are not available in the winter.Theres a souvenir shop and thats where you pay for entrance.No pets allowed btw.

Hakone Gardens is one of my favorite places to visit. Its like stepping into another world that is calm, quiet and unbelievably beautiful. The serenity I feel is indescribable, whether I am there for 20 minutes or 2 hours. When I leave, it is like Ive been on a mini vacation from the real world.

Great garden grounds! Well kept and maintained. Koi fish are so pretty! Would definitely recommend stopping by to enjoy the scenery.

Not worth the $12 . Place not that big compared to Kelley Park and it’s free. For me not come back there again.

Like others have said, it’s quite small, not mobility friendly with lots of stairs and inclines. The attraction is buying fish food from the gift shop and throwing the food into the pond. Not a great place for those who use a wheelchair, cane, crutches, a walker.The gift shop is very small and can get crowded. Some staff are nice, some are pretty rude. Customers buy tickets from the gift shop. The gift shop is kind of odd as it doesn’t really have much related to the gardens.

Beautiful Japanese style garden with koi pond and bamboo mini forest in Saratoga. There is ample parking and areas to rest after walking or just yo enjoy the views of the garden. Can easily enjoy the garden within an hour id short on time. There are short trails and well kept paths throughout. There is a private event venue here as well for weddings or other functions with outdoor or indoor space. Admission are about $12 per adult. Recommend this park for the well manicured garden, flowers, foliage and Japanese architectural buildings and landscape.

This is a very nice park with a big coy pond waterfall surrounded by different type of nicely manicured trees and bushes. Sadly the cherry trees had finished Blossoming but the other flowers like wisteria were very nice. There are some picnic tables here as well as a medium space to have a wedding. If time permits walk up to the tea house imported from Japan. Great Japanese food in Saratoga to complete your day.

A little bit small than I expected but it was so beautiful. Absolutely stunning. Every path is like different infamous locations. It feels exactly like Japan. They do have little picnic area right after entering. Recommend going early when it opens, parking is limited.

One of the best spots to view blooming sakura in late March and early April.April 1 had near optimal blooming, a few trees looked a bit sparse, maybe a few days longer wouldve been ideal.Do note that they are rather strict with entrance times. If your ticket is at 5:30PM, dont expect to get in past 6PM, as pricing is slightly more the later it gets. Ive called them and they made it clear that you can expect to be denied entry if youre exceptionally late.Wine and beer are allowed, but leave the heavy stuff at home. There are picnic seats (kindaspread around the park, but its first come first serve, so if you come early, you can hold a spot and enjoy a light picnic from dusk till night. 6PM seems to be the ideal time.

Beautiful and peaceful gardens. Got tickets for the Cherry Blossoms, we were a bit past peak but still enjoyable. When we booked of course we couldnt predict the weather and today was scheduled to rain all day and night but thankfully we had a break for our visit.

No cherry blossom right now. Its all gone . The parking at the beginning says its full. But it was available up. We had to hike a steep. It is a crowded place. Nothing special about this place. It is just a normal Japanese garden.

Great Japanese garden! The cherry blossoms are beautiful, the koi are big and the bamboo is straight. You may even catch a glimpse of some cosplay. It is a fantastic place to relax, just try to avoid the weekends when the trees are in bloom. It gets pretty busy.

Went for the night event. Nice that they restrict the number of people but they also closed off a lot of the area like the bamboo forrest. Very nice place if you want to feel like youre in Japan for a bit

Cherry blossom is from around March 25th to April 7th.The parking space is so limited.

Crazy crowds during the Sakura season, be prepared to walk on the road from downtown Saratoga ( no other parking).The park is very small, but beautiful

Such a wonderful place. While it is small, it is a great place to visit.It has a very nice and calm experience when walking around.There is a fee to enter, but how often do you go to a Japanese garden?

One the most incredible Japanese Gardens I’ve ever been too. 18 acres of land and flourishing with life and peace. I sat and sketched for 2 hours and took in all the beauty. The gift shop even had the most beautiful crystal bracelets that I hadn’t seen before anywhere. I used to make my own jewelry out of crystals and never saw any vendor make ones like these. Overall this place was a true definition of Zen.

I was looking for something easy to do and hangout at due to my mobility issues. I chose this place and it did not disappoint. Its not a huge place, but has some nice spots to just walk around and hangout at. Walking around at a slow pace and just enjoying the vibe along with the views here was really nice. There were gigantic koi fish as well, but too bad they were hiding under the bridge when I was there.

Amazing atmosphere, extremely relaxing place. Not very crowded. The views are just incredible.

A lovely authentic Japanese gardens created over 100 years ago with good explanation of its history and some of the horrors inflicted on people of Japanese descent by America around the time of the war. Learned a lot. But also enjoyed the peace, serenity and beauty of the well-maintained estate.

The ticket costs 10$ for adultIn my opinion, summer will be better because the leaves are drying out and falling down a lot

Beautiful and peaceful place! Free onsite parking, tight and steep road up so drive safe! $10 entry per adult, just pay at the gift shop.

Beautiful gardens. They have zen meditation and qi gong classes. We hired a photographer to take family photos for us. You need to apply in advance and pay for a permit, so plan ahead if you want to hire a professional photographer!

Beautiful Japanese Garden. Quick note, this garden is on a hill and is quite difficult to access with strollers and wheelchairs even if there are wheelchair ramps.

Hakone estate is a beautiful and peaceful garden. It’s right in the middle of nature, has a lovely aesthetic and beautiful plants, trees and fruits.The koi pond has huge koi. They even give gosh food at the registration desk so you can feed the koi- they know to expect food from us!Definitely recommend for wanderers, families and couples.

Visited this gem twice in the last couple of weeks. That is right. It IS a gem. One of the best Japanese gardens in the area. Will plan to visit more in the near future.

Such a lovely and peaceful place to visit. Visit the exhibit to learn the history here and you’ll gain even more appreciation for what it took to create this place.

Definitely one of the best Japanese gardens in the SF bay area! The one in San Francisco is also very nice, but it’s a bit smaller and a bit more quaint. The one in San Mateo is smaller as well, but also quite beautiful.

I’m not sure about 18 acres, but it’s a cute small garden. Don’t come here expecting a big garden and you won’t be disappointed. It’s a nice mostly shaded walk. Recommend coming at least once if you haven’t been.

Hakone Estate and Gardens is a beautifully maintained garden with a history going back almost 100 years. The place is conveniently located in Saratoga and Iss easy to get to. There is ample parking space, but itll get crowded over weekends and holidays. There are old buildings dating to WW2 times and are well maintained.The main attraction of the garden is the fish pond with the Koi fish. The number of big fish was very less when we visited, but there were lots of little fish in the pond. The Bamboo Grove is thick and is very pleasing. You can walk around the estate and enjoy tastefully decorated garden.Definitely visit the estate to go through history of the place.

It’s Good but don’t waste a weekend over it.The San Jose Japanese Garden is bigger and better.$10 per headThe gift shop is very congested.Overall decent for a 30 min “walk in the park”

Beautiful Instagrammable garden located in a beautiful area. Plenty of photo opportunities, flowers and plants to view, and spots to relax. Affordable admission fee of 10$ per adult.[The Garden]This is a very peaceful area with plenty of little spots to walk or to stop and sit down. There is a cute little bridge surrounded by a koi pond. There is also a few buildings with art. There is a gift shop at the entrance. Best time to come here to avoid the harsh lighting from the sun is early morning or late afternoon. Otherwise, the sun is super bright and can ruin photos of the bridge![The Location]This is located right off of highway 9 towards Boulder creek. It’s about a minute from downtown Saratoga. Afterwards, you can go have a drink or bite to eat downtown. The parking is ample as well!Definitely recommend coming here!!

Beautiful Japanese garden, great place for families and little ones. In the warmer months you can buy fish food at the front entrance to feed the koi fish. They have beautiful cherry blossoms in the spring, and a small bamboo forest

Beautiful small Japanese style garden. Parking is hard during cherry blossom season. Also, due to Covid restrictions they have restricted pathways which have stairs. So, avoid strollers.

It was a good park with lots of beautiful photo ops. Parking is limited but we got lucky and did not have to wait. The garden is situated on top of a hill. So be prepared to climb a lot of steps and wear appropriate footwear. The wheel chair/stroller accecsible part of the garden is limited to a few important points of the park. Overall it was a enjoyable experience for both adults and kids.

Its a steep drive up to the parking lot, I wasnt sure my tiny rental was going to make it but it did. You pay the $10 entrance fee at the gift shop, then follow the one way path through the buildings and grounds. Its an amazing collection of plants, landscaping and traditional Japanese buildings. I would plan to spend at least an hour here although I could spend all day.

Came on a Sat afternoon, not crowded and very much open. Culturally rich experience albeit wish there was more. Very neat experience of Japanese culture, koi fish, beautiful pond that is fed by a mini-fall. This was a peaceful less-than-mile traverse. Wish there was a bit more to view and walk.

Very calming and relaxing place to visit. C-19 protocols do not effect the experience at all. Pricing is relatively cheap ($15-10 range), but apparently they adjust pricing seasonally depending on when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. No dogs allowed so that kinda sucks. Pathways are clean and kept, while the scenery is beautiful. Would definitely recommend giving this place a visit.

Well maintained during the covid. You don’t have to go to SF to see a Japanese garden. It’s nice to have this place close by in Bay Area. 10$ adult admission and also have the option for the annual pass. Short hike and around an hour with taking photos at a few stops. Very family friendly

The admission fee is $10 for adults. The gardens are beautiful to stroll through. The main area is wheelchair and stroller friendly although there are trails that are not. It is a perfect place for photos. You can also book events here. Spring is beautiful. They said the cherry blossoms will be blooming in the next few weeks