Hakone Japanese Gardens

A friend and I visited the venerable Hakone Japanese Gardens in Saratoga today. Though we were quite early - the best time to go would be March or April for the flowering trees and vines, it was still lovely. Quiet. Peaceful. A good winter's day excursion. Here are photos I took. I don't have IDs for most as the garden didn't have signage but will add some thought in any case. It was a cloudy day so some of the photos don't reflect the beauty of the plants.

The top two photos show the small pond near the garden's entrance.We were a bit surprised at only seeing a handful of koi, though they were large.

We weren't sure which tree this is but we both admired the peeling bark.

Again, no certain ID for this tree but love the twisty branches and sky-reaching altitude!

The human perspective shows how tall this bamboo forest is. Lots of bamboo in the garden.

Most Japanese gardens feature elevation changes and there were plenty in Hakone. Here we're looking down on another stand of bamboo.

Above was one of the few trees in bloom, this an ornamental cherry. Love how the sun illuminates the delicate white blossoms. The lower photo shows how high up certain parts of the garden are, here looking back towards the entrance.

This allee will eventually be awash in Wisteria blooms but for now it gives the viewer a pleasurable view of the receding horizon.

I love natural moss and it is often a feature of Japanese gardens. Here's a nice patch under a deciduous tree.

Conifers are of course a feature of Japanese gardens and Hakone has an impressive collection.

Here's another elevated view, this tome towards the north part of the garden. There are lots of simple wooden buildings each, apparently, with its own meaning.

This delicate ornamental cherry provides foreground interest as one looks back down on the pond.

Another of the sculpted conifers found throughout the garden.

There were plenty of stone or cement statuary throughout the garden, a pleasing contrast found in most oriental gardens. Each has its own meaning.

We think this lovely variegated shrub is a Chamaecyparis of some kind. There were several throughout the grounds.

This gnarled pine tree displayed a unique and interesting character of its own.

Another ornamental cherry, which are found throughout the Bay Area and widely used as street trees.

There are hundreds of manzanita varieties so even my experienced companion wasn't able to ID this one. No matter. Just as beautiful without an ID.

One of the pavilions had some art on display, including this beautiful robe that I shot from outside through the window.

Dry gardens are a staple in every Japanese garden and Hakone had a nice little one.

Here's a closeup of how the crushed rock is raked in concentric circles around the rocks.

Here's a wider angle view of the area just in back of the pond. The garden was very well kept up, adding to the pleasing appearance.

A detail on one of the statuary pieces. Looks like a deer but could also be a mythic animal.

Twisty, gnarled branches on trees is often a feature in Japanese gardens.

These low deciduous trees are I suspect Japanese maples. I hope to return in spring when everything has leafed out.

One of the many 'houses' that populate the grounds.

Another twisty tree and perhaps another Japanese maple.

In the upper right and then lower down you can see a little waterfall. Water is an important element in any Japanese garden.

There were ample structures from which to view various parts of the garden, including this lookout with benches near the entrance.

Here's a photo from the above lookout, showing the garden stretching westward.