Seattle Japanese Garden

We visited the gardens for the first time, a few months ago, and really enjoyed our visit! The trees and bushes were in bloom and the colors were lovely. There was a lake with coy fish and turtles that stood so still that we thought they were statues; be on the lookout for then! It was a bit crowded at the time due to spring break; this, really, took away from our visit but, I imagine, a more quiet time would’ve been even more enjoyable. It is a bit small so it didn’t take long to cover the entire garden. I suppose that could be a good or bad thing. I’m not sure I’d pay to come back to hang out with so many other people but if I could figure out a really dead time, I just might bring a book and camp out for a bit to enjoy this beautiful garden!

Beautiful garden, but very small. You’ll have seen every last bit in about 25 minutes. The koi are also huge, I believe they feast of the abandoned children there.

This is a beautiful place and we enjoyed our visit, but 6.00 a person for a park that takes 15 – 30 minutes to walk is a bit much. It is well maintained

This place wasn’t in full bloom when I went in the end of March, but you can see where the flowers will bloom later on. For a couple bucks, this place is amazingly tranquil and peaceful. I’d go just to meditate for a little and enjoy the view. This place had many areas to take photos, places to sit and enjoy the view and bridges were awesome. The pond was a bit grimey, but honestly its nature, nothing can be pure. Huge kois! Come give this place a shot, nothing to lose!

Cute place! Small but beautiful. Good for someone who enjoys looking at plants!

This garden was really nice. Very clean. A little smaller than the one in san francisco but its ver relaxing. You can feed the koi fish and ducks that gather on the pond. This place do tends to get crowded so its better if you get there early. Entrance is only 6 bucks but its definitely worth it.

A lovely Japanese garden. Beautiful in every season you visit. We enjoy coming here so much so we get annual family passes. It’s actually quite a bargain.
Lovely in the Spring for the gorgeous gardenias and cherry blossoms.
Breath-​taking in the Fall for the spectacular colors of the maples and the ginkgo trees.

Peaceful, beautiful, and intriguing. A nice walk through the Japanese Garden will chill you out and set you up for a centered day. Foliage of green or red, blossoms, koi, or rain, it’s all enjoyable here.
A great place to sit and read or write. I wish I could have seen more of the tea house, but it’s fenced off. Beautiful building, though, with an incredible copper roof.
Sit a while~

Is it worth five bucks for a one or two acre park? Absolutely yes in this case. What a rare find. Nothing in the city compares in very few cities have something like this bring a book or a journal and if you draw bring something to draw with. Too many people are taking photos and not looking really looking at what they take pictures of enjoy!

My boyfriend took me here hoping I’d ‘think it was pretty and that I would appreciate the garden and the beautiful scenery.’ Little did I know he was planning on proposing here.
The Seattle Japanese Garden is beautiful for an afternoon walk. In the fall you can enjoy the leaves changing as well as the beautiful Japanese plants and koi fish in the pond. The Seattle Japanese Garden will forever have a special place in my heart. I’m hoping that we can return in the spring. Besides, I was so shocked/​excited/​overwhelmed that I don’t think we got to see the entire place.
A definite must for tourists and locals!

Love that you can feed the koi. There’s an area that you can actually get really close to the fish and there are some koi that will actually suck the food right out of your hand. It’s a really fun experience and unique feeling.
Admission was $ 6. The person at the entrance collecting the fee was a little snippy though.

This place is gorgeous! I went here recently (when it was cold, cloudy, and lots of leaves were already gone), but I still loved this garden. I’ve driven past here a bunch of times, but never realized that this place was hidden behind the fences. If you don’t mind paying a small fee then I would suggest checking it out, probably during the spring or summer. If you’re a college student, don’t forget your ID to save a couple bucks! I also saw a sign at the entrance that said they do free guided tours daily at 12:30pm and 2pm so come around then if you want to learn more about the garden. It’s not a huge area, so a tour guide isn’t completely necessary, but it’d be cool to learn more about the culture and history here. I’m definitely planning on returning during a warmer/​sunnier time!

If you have never been here, you need to come! Locals and tourist will flock for the low prices and beautiful scenes around the garden. This was a nice quite little stop for my friends and I after doing non-​stop tourist attractions over the past few days. It was awesome to unwind and just get shutter happy and take pictures everywhere!
Don’t believe me… just look at all the pictures I uploaded.

The Seattle Japanese Garden is located in the Washington Park Arboretum and is a great example of a small version of Japan with different landscapes including the forest, lakes, mountains, rivers, bridges, paths and buildings.
The colors of fall are sweeping across the landscape of the garden and the red, orange and yellow of the leaves are falling and painting the sky as the twist and twirl downward. The falling leaves totally add another dimension to the garden and increases the impact of your visit. At one point the wind picked up as I was standing under several trees and was bathed in bright red and orange leaves. It was one of those amazing moments where we feel a connection to nature!
There are many types of Japanese plants and many are marked but if you want you can pick up an alphabetical list of all of the plants in the garden. You can purchase a copy or they can loan you one for your visit.
There are several different areas of the garden and I think the most beautiful in the fall is waterfall area with the giant eight ton boulder. There is also an eleven tiered stone pagoda at the very top of the mountain area and there are beautiful colored trees all around.
The stone bridge area is great for pictures. There is a large stone lantern as well. If you walk a bit further the Gingkos are in full color in a sea of yellow on their leaves. The Gingkos totally reminded of fall in Korea and Japan. I was so glad there were some in the garden.
The wooden bridge area to the small island in the middle of the lake gives amazing views. It is really good to take some time and just take in all of the beauty including the turtles sunning themselves on the rocks. There are also koi swimming in the pond and if you walk the stone rock path across the stream many times you will see koi fish relaxing in the area.
Sadly, the wisteria is not in bloom since it is the fall. But there is a beautiful trellis that hangs into the water. It is stunning when it is in bloom. Another area not currently in bloom is the cherry blossom area. This garden is such a great place due to different plants being the highlights at different seasons. This is a reason to come back and visit the park to experience all of the beauty it has to offer.
Finally there is a tea room with a tea service available at times which costs extra. If you have never seen it it is totally worth it. It is an exercise in fluidity and graceful deliberate movements.
Parking is available for four hours in a lot infront of the garden. You do not have to pay for parking. Entrance to the park is…
— $ 6.00 for adults 18 — 64
— $ 4.00 for youths 6 — 17
— FREE for children 5 and under
— $ 4.00 for seniors 65 and over
— $ 4.00 for students with ID
— $ 4.00 for disabled
If you are going to visit several times in a year, consider getting an annual pass. An annual pass costs…
— $ 20.00 individual
— $ 30.00 dual, good for two people
— $ 15.00 students
— $ 75.00 photographer
This is one of the most beautiful places in Seattle and we are lucky to have it. Pay a visit soon and recharge your soul.

4.5 stars! The Japanese Garden is a public garden nestled in the north end of Capitol Hill/​Madison Park neighborhood and is quite a place to visit, especially in the fall when you can see all the vibrant colors of the trees. The entrance fee was $ 6 for adult and $ 4 for students (or you can get annual membership for $ 20 for adult/​$ 15 for students). Children under 5 can enter free of charge.
The garden itself is a relatively smaller garden, say when you compare it to the neighbor Japanese Garden in Portland. To appeal and adapt slightly to its location, the garden also is a little bit more westernized with many tall as well as colorful trees in the garden outside of the forest areas. Nevertheless, it was beautiful. Some of the highlights on my most recent visit included the paperbark maple tree with delicate thin layers of barks peeling off of the maple trees, the red maple leaves signifying the coming of fall foliage and the jumbo koi fish literally jumping out of the water in the pond, mistaking that it was a whale/​dolphin instead of a normal koi fish or something :)
P. S. I have visited the garden in the winter as well but it wasn’t as lively and vibrant as it was in the fall like this visit. So, if given a choice, try to come when the weather isn’t as frigid, and best, if it was going into fall season. I came out of this fall visit very happy I had a chance to check this place out again!

I dont want to be cooped up in my apartment!!!
It was a nice day out and we decided to go for a walk outside, so the Japanese Garden sounded like a good idea. I’ve never been here before so the $ 6 admission fee was totally fine.
Very beautiful, quiet (not all the time as there will be some annoying people), serene, tranquil and relaxing while looking at all of the lovely landscape, plants, mini bridges, ponds, different color koi fish and many other stopping points. Nice amount of benches to sit and admire the scenery, people watch and enjoy the weather.
It’s not a very big garden but it was worth coming to. They do offer guided tours so check the times at the front desk. A great place to take visitors or just come visit in general. Right across the street from the Arboretum so you can just walk on over. There are some parking lots around but they fill up fast, so good luck.
P.S There are some courtesy rules posted so dont be that person that sticks their hand in the koi pond to stir up a reaction from the fish, or bring a football and toss it around, and stay on the path too!

One of the most beautiful gardens I have strolled through. I wish the entry fee would be changed to $ 7 as opposed to $ 6. 6 is the mark of the beast and 7 is the divine number.
I saw a man walk across the pond with his young daughter. I reflected on how important it was for people to have a father in this world.
«Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.»
–Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you are visiting or you live here, I recommend checking out the Japanese Tea Gardens absolutely beautiful. If you are in no rush bring a book or camera and enjoy the peaceful environment.

It costs $ 6 dollars to get in, but it is worth it. The garden is beautifully maintained. You get beautiful views of a large pond, koi fish, small waterfalls and streams. The garden has a large variety of different plants and colors. There is also a lot of shade provided by the trees so it doesn’t feel too hot. This was a great place for my kids and I to unwind and spend some quality time together.
We had a great time walking around this garden. The colors of the trees this time of year were gorgeous. We took some really nice family pictures here. It isn’t a huge garden so it doesn’t take a lot of time to get around it, but there are a scattering of benches you could sit at and enjoy the scenery.
Interlaced with streams, small waterfalls, ponds and bridges; these gardens are just gorgeous! We went on a sunny, warm day and experienced the incredible beauty of this special place. This is a must see if you’re in the area. You feel a calmness all around while gazing at the flowers and stunning landscape. Take photos and enjoy!
A very pleasant and peaceful use of 1 – 2 hours of your time. There are also very nice and clean bathroom facilities for visitors. Beware! They had been experiencing a number of car break-​ins, so don’t park off in a corner somewhere.
Travel hint: if you’re staying in downtown Seattle without a car, I recommend catching the #11 bus (along Pike) and getting off at Lake Washington Blvd. The trip should take ~20 mins. From the Lake Washington Blvd stop, it’s less than 10mins walk to the garden entrance.

A beautiful, secluded garden just outside the city. It’s located in the arboretum, but you have to pay $ 6/​adult for admission. Inside you’ll find waterfalls, brightly colored flowers, statues, bridges, and a pond with ducks, turtles and koi. Worth the $ 6. Get some zen in your life.