Hakone Gardens

Hakone Gardens

21000 Big Basin Way
Saratoga, California

Thursday, July 4, 2019

By Peter Y. Chou
WisdomPortal.com

Preface: Foothill Krause Center & Los Altos Library are closed for July 4 Independence Day Holiday, so there's no computer to do my work. Al Guzman took me to Shoreline Century Cinema 16 to see "Avengers: End Game" on Memorial Day (5-27-2019), but is not fully recovered from his back pain for July 4th outing. Karen phones and says perhaps we can go to the beach or to Shoreline Baylands Park in Palo Alto. I tell her that Tom McCarthy took the Foothill Day Hiking Class to Baylands Park (10-4-2013) and (4-17-2015) to see the birds, and the beach is overcrowded on holidays. Since Karen works in Saratoga, she suggests a visit to Hakone Gardens that I've not seen before. After Joe Firmage (CEO of USWeb) appeared on Art Bell's Coast-to-Coast.am show (1-8-1999). Art Bell called Joe Firmage "a gazillionaire who had encountered UFO aliens". I got on Firmage's mailing list, and received two free tickets for his Talk at Hakone Gardens. However gave them to a friend who wanted a Mother-Daughter outing, so missed the chance to see Hakone Gardens around 1999. So today's walk at Hakone Gardens was a special treat. Karen wants me to try the Quiche at Big Basin Cafe,
but they were closing at 5 pm on July 4, instead of 9 pm. Since Karen knew the owner, he served us Spinach & Mushroom Quiche outdoors. After the delicious meal, we went down the steep downhill 4th Street to the Wildwood Park Bridge with scenic rocks and mini-waterfall below. Here are 76 photos of today's walk, with time recorded on my Canon Power Shot A590 Digital Camera. Three photos not taken by me are linked to their sources: Hakone Gardens Entrance, Trails in Bamboo Garden, Quiches Served Outdoors.

Hakone Gardens Entrance
21000 Big Basin Way, Saratoga (2:30 pm)

Hakone Gardens Gift Shop
near the Entrance (2:40 pm)

Plastic Butterflies & Postcards
Hakone Gardens Gift Shop (2:41 pm)

Mugs for Sale
Hakone Gardens Gift Shop (2:42 pm)

Geisha Artwork, Mugs & Bowls
Hakone Gardens Gift Shop (2:42 pm)

Loving Wishes on Bamboo Trees
Near Entrance Gate (2:49 pm)

Heavenly Lovers Mythology (Qixi)
Celebrated on 7-7 Date (2:41 pm)

V-Shape Bay Tree
Near Rest Room (2:48 pm)

Sunflare through Bay Tree
Near Rest Room (2:48 pm)

Conical Tree
Near Rest Room (2:49 pm)

Row of Thin Stalk Bamboos
Before Mon Main Gate (2:50 pm)

The Mon Main Gate
Construction in 1940 (3:04 pm)

Karen by Bamboo Gate
Near the Main Gate (3:05 pm)

Lofty Lambda Λ Redwood
Before Main Gate (2:51 pm)

H-Gate Hakone
Leading to Koi Pond (2:52 pm)

Kasuga Lantern
Near the Main Gate (3:01 pm)

Sunflare through Pine Trees
Before the Main Gate (3:01 pm)

Giant Madrone Tree
Before CEC Center (3:06 pm)

Red Kimono
in CEC Window (3:08 pm)

White Kimono
inside CEC Building (3:09 pm)

Hakone's Timeline (1915-1966)
inside CEC Building (3:10 pm)

Distal View
from CEC Porch (3:28 pm)

Distal View
from CEC Porch (3:29 pm)

Bridge over Koi Pond
Hakone Gardens (3:39 pm)

Umbrellas on Ceiling
inside CEC Building (3:11 pm)

Zen Rock Garden
by Ogata-Kai, 2014 (3:32 pm)

Zen Rock Garden 2
by Ogata-Kai, 2014 (3:33 pm)

Koi Pond from Bridge
Hakone Gardens (3:40 pm)

Moon Viewing House & Lamp
Hakone Gardens (3:39 pm)

Stone Steps Upward
to the Waterfalls (3:40 pm)

Crane Statue in Koi Pond
Hakone Gardens (3:42 pm)

Tourists Viewing Koi Pond
Hakone Gardens (3:43 pm)

Kasuga Lantern across Koi Pond
Hakone Gardens (3:43 pm)

Crane Statue & Rocks in Koi Pond
Hakone Gardens (3:44 pm)

Koi Pond from Bridge
Hakone Gardens (3:41 pm)

Rocks by Koi Pond
Hakone Gardens (3:42 pm)

Cascading Waterfalls
Hakone Gardens (3:46 pm)

Karen, Lantern, Redwood
by Hakone's Koi Pond (3:48 pm)

Waterfalls Sighting
Hakone Gardens (3:45 pm)

Tall Grass in Koi Pond
Hakone Gardens (3:50 pm)

Crane Statue & Moon Viewing House
Hakone Gardens (3:51 pm)

Giant Acanthus Mollis Leaves
by Hakone's Koi Pond (3:50 pm)

Blue Carp in Koi Pond
Hakone Gardens (3:51 pm)

Bamboo Garden Signpost
Hakone Gardens (3:59 pm)

Curving Steps Up Bamboo Garden
Hakone Gardens (4:04 pm)

Resting Benches by Koi Pond
Hakone Gardens (3:55 pm)

Rails on Zig-Zag Steps
Hakone Gardens (4:15 pm)

Hakone Centennial
in Tea Ceremony House (4:27 pm)

Bay Tree by the Stairs
Hakone Gardens (4:12 pm)

Twin-Root Redwood
Hakone Gardens (4:21 pm)

Twin-Root Redwood Top
Hakone Gardens (4:22 pm)

Trails in Bamboo Garden
Hakone Gardens (4:23 pm)

Tea Ceremony Table & Mats
Tea Ceremony House (4:28 pm)

Pond View from Tea Pavilion
Hakone Gardens (4:28 pm)

Rocks Over Waterfall Stream
Above Koi Pond (4:31 pm)

Six Carps in Koi Pond
Hakone Gardens (4:34 pm)

Carps under the Bridge
Hakone Gardens (4:34 pm)

Three Carps in Koi Pond
Hakone Gardens (4:34 pm)

Square Wishing Well
Hakone Gardens (4:25 pm)

Tea Ceremony Room
Hakone Gardens (4:26 pm)

Quiches Served Outdoors
Big Basin Cafe (5:25-6:00 pm)

Flowers Paintings on Wall
4th Street, Big Basin Way (6:19 pm)

Big Basin Cafe Menu Board
14471 Big Basin Way, Sarotoga (5:17 pm)

Front of Big Basin Cafe
14471 Big Basin Way (5:21 pm)

Steep Downhill 4th Street (Signpost)
Big Basin Way, Sarotoga (6:20 pm)

The Wildwoods Sign
20720 4th Street, Sarotoga (6:26 pm)

Inn at Saratoga Sign & "Elbow" Tree
20645 4th Street, Sarotoga (6:28 pm)

Wildwood Park Bridge
20764 4th Street, Sarotoga (6:29 pm)

Downhill 4th Street
Saratoga (6:22 pm)

Rocks Below the Bridge
4th Street, Saratoga (6:30 pm)

Mini-Waterfall Below the Bridge
4th Street, Saratoga (6:31 pm)

V-Shape Tree in Park
4th Street, Saratoga (6:32 pm)