Saturday, March 7, 2009

Hayward - Japanese Garden

In order to give my younger travel buddy some more driving practice before he takes his driver's test at the end of the month, we both set out in the car for a Saturday afternoon drive to the Japanese Gardens in Hayward. It was a beautiful warm sunny day, but surprisingly not many people were out admiring this lovely spot. The Japanese Gardens feature 3.3 acres of plants from Japan as well as native Californian varieties. There is also a koi pond and a pretty teahouse. Spring hasn't quite arrived yet, so many of the trees didn't have much new growth; however, some of the Camelias were in bloom and there was a lovely Magnolia tree full of pink blossoms. Come take a look at what we found...















This is one spot I'll definitely have to come back to, especially in a few more months once all the plants are in full bloom. Want to find out more about this lovely garden? Click here.

1 comment:

Chako-chan said...

I have gone to that Japanese garden a couple of times over the years, but today's visit increased my appreciation of that place. How beautiful the grading hues of the middle reds and greens of the trees--and the way you present them. The river-like path of the crushed stone is so serene. I had never seen that stone marker. I now know that Hayward and Funabashi are sister cities. I have to go back there, too. Thank you for the beautiful tour!