Hayward's Japanese Garden is located on a high-cliffed peninsula between two tributaries of the San Lorenzo Creek. The 1.2 acre garden contains 1500 plants of 70 types. There are Japanese black pine, mondo grasses, Mexican weeping pine, incense cedar and junipers laid out along winding pathways and a reflecting pool. Lantana, rhododendron and a few other flowering plants are interspersed for spots of color. The garden contains three gazebo-like structures, a pavillion, a waterfall, a bridge over the pool and a teahouse.
From 1913 to 1962 this site housed the botanical gardens for Hayward Union High School. When the high school moved, Hayward Are Recreation and Park District acquired the site to create a park.
Garden Designer, Kimio Kimura, says "The water provides comfort and relief. The stones represent stability, longevity, and permanency. The plants provide oxygen. Each helps the other." Kimio conducts a free lecture and tour of the garden at 1PM on the first Saturday of every month.
North Third Street at Crescent
Hayward, California 94546
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