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When my wife and I were dating she went to college in San Antonio, and we spent a lot of time going places in town and the surrounding areas. One our favorite places we went a few times and wished we had gone more was the Japanese Tea Garden in San Antonio, Texas. The Japanese Tea Garden is a FREE MUST-SEE destination in the Sand Antonio area.
What is the Japanese Tea Garden in San Antonio, Texas?
The Japanese Tea Garden has a glorious history of over 90 years, from the time it was an operating rock quarry to today, as one of the most loved, educational and cultural resources in San Antonio.
The quarry was shaped into a complex that included walkways, stone arch bridges, an island and a Japanese pavilion. The garden was termed the lily pond, and local residents donated bulbs to beautify the area. Exotic plants were provided by the City nursery and the City Public Service Company donated the lighting system. The pavilion was roofed with palm leaves from trees in City parks.- San Antonio Parks Foundation
Where is the Japanese Tea Garden in San Antonio, Texas?
The park is located at 3853 N St Mary’s St, San Antonio, TX 78212, United States. It’s located in Brackenridge Park system and is across the highway from Alamo Stadium. The garden is open 7 AM to 5 PM, 7 days a week, 365 days a year
Japanese Tea Garden – History
The Japanese Tea Garden in San Antonio, Texas (also known locally as the sunken garden) was developed on land donated to the city by George Washington Brackenridge, president of the San Antonio Water Works Company in 1899. However, the land was first used in 1844 by German stone masons to supply the local construction market with limestone. The quarry was used to make many of the buildings and roadways in the area.
In 1880 the Alamo Cement Company was incorporated and produced cement for 26 years in the onsite kiln. The chimney still stands today. Below the quarry, a small “village” built to support the quarry workforce. The village populated primarily by Americans who worked the site. They and their families became popular with tourists, who purchased pottery, hand woven baskets, and food.
In 1917, City Parks Commissioner Ray Lambert envisioned a sunken Japanese styled garden that incorporated walkways, stone arch bridges, an island and a Japanese pagoda were added to the design. To achieve this, they used prison labor and several donors funded the project.
At the entrance gate a Japanese Torii Gate designed and constructed from concrete by Mexican-born artist Dionicio Rodriguez. In 1919 the city invited, Kimi Eizo Jingu, a local Japanese American artist to move to the garden. In 1926, they opened the Bamboo Room, where light lunches and tea were sold. Kimi and Miyoshi Jingu took care of the garden, lived in the park, and raised eight children. Mr. Jingu lived and worked on the grounds until his death in 1938. Sadly, the family was evicted from the garden in 1941, because of the anti-Japanese sentiment of World War II.
During the War the garden was renamed Chinese Tea Garden and a Chinese American family, Ted and Ester Wu, opened a snack bar in the pagoda and ran it until the 1960s. The garden was renamed the Japanese Tea Garden in 1984. The ceremony included Jingu’s children and representatives of the Japanese government.
During the early 2000s renovations of the gardens started and they have continued over the years. For more details check out the Wiki entry or the Japanese Tea Garden History article. Another good history can be found at The Japanese Tea Gardens
About the Images
Pictures were taken back in October 2018 during a weekend trip to San Antonio on a gloomy afternoon. I had some issues getting the images to stay in focus and removing noise from the images. I was able to fix some of the issues in post. I used my Sony a6000. I then edited the images with Adobe Lightroom CC, Topaz Labs Denoise AI, AI, Topaz Labs Sharpen AI , Aurora HDR, and Luminar AI.
About James
Thats pretty and thanks