- Huntington Library, Art Museum & Botanical Gardens (San Marino):
- Extensive themed botanical gardens with a serene Japanese section.
- Features include a bamboo forest, a bonsai collection, a zen court, a traditional five-room house, a ceremonial teahouse, a moon bridge, and koi ponds1.
- Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden (Pasadena):
- Nearly two-acre private garden with traditional teahouse, open to the public on specific days.
- Highlights include two ponds, four bridges, a cascading waterfall, and a tea house designed by Kinzuchi Fujii1.
- Descanso Gardens (La Cañada Flintridge):
- A Japanese garden amidst Southern California's native horticulture, known for its high concentration of cherry blossoms in spring.
- Features a teahouse donated by the Japanese-American community and an arched bridge over a koi-filled stream1.
- The Japanese Garden (Van Nuys):
- Located near Sepulveda Basin, this garden has stony bridges, footpaths along a central pond, rockwork, manicured trees, and tea houses.
- Irrigated by the adjacent Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant, free reservations are available about a week in advance1.
- Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden (Long Beach):
- Located on the Cal State Long Beach campus, this 1.3-acre garden hosts lectures, screenings, workshops, and an annual origami festival.
- Features a serene central pond, and was dedicated in 1981 as a gift from Loraine Miller Collins in memory of her late husband1.
- Kyoto Gardens (Downtown, atop Doubletree by Hilton Los Angeles):
- A small, finely manicured garden primarily used as an event space but also open for guests of the hotel for relaxation1.
- South Coast Botanic Garden (Rancho Palos Verdes/Rolling Hills Estates):
- An 87-acre botanic garden with a small Japanese garden section featuring a koi pond, cascading waterfalls, and pagoda lanterns1.
- James Irvine Japanese Garden (Little Tokyo):
- A hidden garden within the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, accessed via a somewhat concealed route, offering a tranquil urban oasis1.
- Suiho En (The Japanese Garden of Water & Fragrance):
- A 6.5-acre garden offering three classical designs: a dry karensansui, a wet garden with a promenade chisen, and an authentic tea ceremony garden with a 4.5 tatami mat tea room2.
- Hannah Carter Japanese Garden:
- Nominated for designation as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, this garden was preserved through a lawsuit settlement in 20153.
These gardens encapsulate the essence of Japanese landscape design, offering peaceful retreats amidst the urban landscape of Los Angeles.
