This week I finally had the opportunity to visit Hakone, the oldest Asian estate and gardens in the Western hemisphere. Located in Saratoga, CA, about 20 minutes from San Jose and the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley, Hakone occupies 18 acres in the hills just outside of town.
Hakone was established in 1915 by Isabel and Oliver Stine, a wealthy couple from San Francisco. It went through several changes of ownership over the years, fell into disrepair, was lovingly restored, and then sold to the City of Saratoga in 1966.
![120427_Hakone_143 120427_Hakone_143](//lh3.ggpht.com/-kY93pfEMI5c/T5tCL_h0NMI/AAAAAAAARVE/A-cz-i4qKNA/120427_Hakone_143_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Entrance gate to Japanese garden |
I’m by no means an expert on Japanese gardens. However, having visited the Portland Japanese Garden (PJG) several time in recent years (see 1 2 3 4 5 6), I knew I would start comparing the two. Both are magnificent places of tranquility and beauty. The PJG seems to be built on a grander scale and feels more like a public garden; Hakone has the feeling of an intimate retreat and it is indeed much used for corporate events, weddings, receptions, etc.
![120427_Hakone_pano 120427_Hakone_pano](//lh5.ggpht.com/-xnutfVFgsG8/T5tCOKqdTGI/AAAAAAAARVU/UuTMp4IfqpA/120427_Hakone_pano_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Panorama of Hill and Pond Garden |
My traveling companion and I started our exploration in the Hill and Pond Garden seen in the panorama above. As is the case in Portland, every plant, every rock, every decorative item seems to be in the perfect place. That is the genius behind Japanese gardening. Some people find the result too sterile and calculated, but to me the effect is immensely soothing.
![120427_Hakone_176 120427_Hakone_176](//lh5.ggpht.com/-7Ry7jMb5rBs/T5tCQUVYk_I/AAAAAAAARVk/4hAkJlYweSE/120427_Hakone_176_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Moon bridge over koi pond |
![120427_Hakone_bridge 120427_Hakone_bridge](//lh3.ggpht.com/-R7M8-IqbCMo/T5tCSFPLOqI/AAAAAAAARV0/QoUD1MFRlaA/120427_Hakone_bridge_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Moon bridge over koi pond |
![120427_Hakone_166 120427_Hakone_166](//lh5.ggpht.com/-TOrvMP8s0ak/T5tCTXs4qxI/AAAAAAAARWE/PNrcSt4iy6o/120427_Hakone_166_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Just few of the many koi |
![120427_Hakone_04 120427_Hakone_04](//lh4.ggpht.com/-sxYIBcT65oY/T5tCVo2GvdI/AAAAAAAARWU/6wfCsx6Ly-8/120427_Hakone_04_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Wisterias along the pond |
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Snow viewing lantern near koi pond |
The timing of our visit was very fortuitous. The wisterias (see panorama above) and the azaleas were in full bloom, lighting up the hillsides with their colors so bright they almost look fake.
![120427_Hakone_09 120427_Hakone_09](//lh5.ggpht.com/-Y3_uTYpdDTg/T5tCcd8cy8I/AAAAAAAARW0/0G1vqFlegZg/120427_Hakone_09_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Stone lantern and azaleas |
![120427_Hakone_12 120427_Hakone_12](//lh4.ggpht.com/-O7dLb_l_lzA/T5tCfybR-tI/AAAAAAAARXE/Vgeg3iwvwoY/120427_Hakone_12_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Azaleas in full bloom |
But even where there were no flowering plants, the green from the grasses, moss and other small plants was a soothing sight, especially against the ever present rocks.
![120427_Hakone_109 120427_Hakone_109](//lh4.ggpht.com/-RNB3qkFMYKI/T5tCjQ5nuMI/AAAAAAAARXU/-hasNCX5Qn0/120427_Hakone_109_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Stone with a hollow serving as a natural water basin |
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Retaining wall with moss-covered rocks |
Hakone has one thing the Portland Japanese Garden does not have: a bamboo garden. As a bamboo lover, I had heard stories about how lovely it is, and I was not disappointed.
![120427_Hakone_108 120427_Hakone_108](//lh5.ggpht.com/-1N_eaZRn8Mc/T5tCqTsMpwI/AAAAAAAARX0/U1b54fLIWck/120427_Hakone_108_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Sign post to bamboo garden |
Strolling through a well-maintained grove of bamboo—here moso (Phyllostachys edulis), probably the most elegant of all bamboos—is an experience that I find almost transcendent. Here I was, so close to Silicon Valley, and yet I could just as easily have been in China or Japan. The fact that there were very few visitors aside from my friend Eric and myself added to the illusion.
![120427_Hakone_28 120427_Hakone_28](//lh4.ggpht.com/-nK_SPfSCN5g/T5tCuE1I3OI/AAAAAAAARYE/1arDv-Texro/120427_Hakone_28_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Grove of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) |
![120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_edulis_18 120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_edulis_18](//lh6.ggpht.com/-xbgoiN57KW8/T5tCwlO4eWI/AAAAAAAARYU/S0nqZBiT71U/120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_edulis_18_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Grove of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) |
![120427_Hakone_55 120427_Hakone_55](//lh3.ggpht.com/-Sb35T1cRdbY/T5tCytepgwI/AAAAAAAARYk/TPjC0shxhLw/120427_Hakone_55_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Tranquil path through bamboo garden |
![120427_Hakone_33 120427_Hakone_33](//lh3.ggpht.com/-Nl4qbfimicg/T5tC0saZorI/AAAAAAAARY0/T6FhmOHzi0A/120427_Hakone_33_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Grove of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) |
![120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_edulis_04 120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_edulis_04](//lh6.ggpht.com/-fiaiYoB0KNM/T5tC2w8nVBI/AAAAAAAARZU/1cGciTw0EQU/120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_edulis_04_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
New moso shoots The culm sheaths look and feel like velvet |
![120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_edulis_25 120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_edulis_25](//lh3.ggpht.com/-ABZMr0fuhbc/T5tC6ObPuLI/AAAAAAAARZ0/D6cIo3bkGcw/120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_edulis_25_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Old sun-bleached moso culms |
The bamboo garden at Hakone has one of the rarest and most sought-after bamboos of all, tortoise shell moso. It is almost never available for purchase, and when it is, it’s through private channels. At an American Bamboo Society auction in 1999, a tortoise shell moso sold for $7,000.
![120427_Hakone_41 120427_Hakone_41](//lh3.ggpht.com/-ogeBEmaZ6tQ/T5tC8PBHPuI/AAAAAAAARaE/PZ-gON_Gu0M/120427_Hakone_41_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Tortoise shell moso, a naturally occurring mutation of Phyllostachys edulis |
![120427_Hakone_50 120427_Hakone_50](//lh5.ggpht.com/-Blf0L0jA8l8/T5tC_MmRBFI/AAAAAAAARak/BEIXgQQdWHk/120427_Hakone_50_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Tortoise shell moso |
We also saw bi-colored moso (Phyllostachys edulis ‘Bicolor’)—yellow culms with a green sulcus. While nowhere near as rare as tortoise shell moso, it’s still quite uncommon.
![120427_Hakone_Moso_bicolor_57 120427_Hakone_Moso_bicolor_57](//lh3.ggpht.com/-4YodRhNYa5k/T5tDBANrF9I/AAAAAAAARa0/M9wNoldjgj4/120427_Hakone_Moso_bicolor_57_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Bi-colored moso (Phyllostachys edulis ‘Bicolor’) |
![120427_Hakone_Moso_bicolor_60 120427_Hakone_Moso_bicolor_60](//lh5.ggpht.com/-VrrR-XLVMAA/T5tDCmlDWKI/AAAAAAAARbE/VtPVLGk2XHs/120427_Hakone_Moso_bicolor_60_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Bi-color moso (Phyllostachys edulis ‘Bicolor’) |
Wherever you looked, there were stands of perfectly maintained bamboos. I think even people who are normally pretty blasĆ© about bamboo would fall under its spell in a place like this. The rustle of bamboos leaves in the wind is one of nature’s tranquilizers.
![120427_Hakone_38 120427_Hakone_38](//lh5.ggpht.com/-tO4VkYm4_7w/T5tDFtOLTWI/AAAAAAAARbU/h8hO7hg_74A/120427_Hakone_38_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Robert Young bamboo (Phyllostachys viridis ‘Robert Young’) |
![120427_Hakone_39 120427_Hakone_39](//lh3.ggpht.com/-ilFhiHUgC0w/T5tDItIdmZI/AAAAAAAARbk/4FE0qAZsZOI/120427_Hakone_39_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Looking down towards the lower part of the bamboo garden |
![120427_Hakone_62 120427_Hakone_62](//lh6.ggpht.com/-ASRAT2ivuRM/T5tDLEJiE6I/AAAAAAAARb0/S98Ljdu_CvE/120427_Hakone_62_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Kanju-ji lantern in lower part of bamboo garden |
![120427_Hakone_92 120427_Hakone_92](//lh5.ggpht.com/-GEbqcxTpMjQ/T5tDObOEI5I/AAAAAAAARcE/OEcfyszunLk/120427_Hakone_92_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Kanju-ji lantern, my favorite lantern style. One day I’ll find one at a price I can afford… |
![120427_Hakone_115 120427_Hakone_115](//lh6.ggpht.com/-DCpRfIwRwHg/T5tDS3CnSFI/AAAAAAAARcU/150H50M1j7o/120427_Hakone_115_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Misaki lantern and vivax bamboo (Phyllostachys vivax) |
![120427_Hakone_117 120427_Hakone_117](//lh4.ggpht.com/-ktdy7NeV4GM/T5tDWKdUKlI/AAAAAAAARck/YOvcvdTxyhI/120427_Hakone_117_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Vivax bamboo (Phyllostachys vivax) |
![120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_vivax_aureocaulis_35 120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_vivax_aureocaulis_35](//lh5.ggpht.com/-5PconVcu874/T5tDa3JqN6I/AAAAAAAARc0/MvQn2oiCTOc/120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_vivax_aureocaulis_35_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Yellow vivax bamboo (Phyllostachys vivax ‘Aureocaulis’) with some culms that have reverted to all green. The area beyond the bamboo is the parking lot. As you can see, there weren’t too many visitors that day. |
![120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys-Vivax-aureocaulis_110 120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys-Vivax-aureocaulis_110](//lh5.ggpht.com/-yl2y_G88aCE/T5tDd512NpI/AAAAAAAARdE/dvHUOm9UFvw/120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys-Vivax-aureocaulis_110_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Yellow vivax bamboo (Phyllostachys vivax ‘Aureocaulis’) |
![120427_Hakone_122 120427_Hakone_122](//lh6.ggpht.com/-N3K0aSAT6u0/T5tDhB9uZuI/AAAAAAAARdU/4r0AXmqyR7I/120427_Hakone_122_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Traditional sleeve fence |
Leaving the bamboo garden, we walked by the office…
![120427_Hakone_Semiarundinaria-fastuosa 120427_Hakone_Semiarundinaria-fastuosa](//lh5.ggpht.com/-q1lsBi1HSQ8/T5tDkvmvn0I/AAAAAAAARdk/2rhhyAQc43Q/120427_Hakone_Semiarundinaria-fastuosa_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Hakone office surrounded by bamboo |
…to the other end of the estate. Even there, bamboo was a prominent part of the plantings.
![120427_Hakone_188 120427_Hakone_188](//lh4.ggpht.com/-V8MGbVM7xbA/T5tDmqaavdI/AAAAAAAARd0/QwKZOAgF_Bg/120427_Hakone_188_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Cultural Exchange Center, an authentic reproduction of a 19th century (Edo period) Kyoto tea-merchant's house and shop |
![120427_Hakone_210 120427_Hakone_210](//lh3.ggpht.com/-uOwDo1axFGk/T5tDqg6dLBI/AAAAAAAAReU/xq9YhHR-RWY/120427_Hakone_210_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
LEFT: Gate near the tea garden RIGHT: Katsuga lantern near main gate |
![120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_niga-Bory_01 120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_niga-Bory_01](//lh4.ggpht.com/-cLj88Ay4BXg/T5tDsyclV0I/AAAAAAAARek/uGuSDxIdDUI/120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_niga-Bory_01_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Leopard or snakeskin bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra ‘Bory’) |
![120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_aurea_04 120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_aurea_04](//lh6.ggpht.com/-6Acmv2mTXqU/T5tDw09DM5I/AAAAAAAARfE/LSfmcwa13ns/120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys_aurea_04_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Golden bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea) with compressed internodes that resemble tortoise shell moso. While tortoise shell moso is extremely rare, golden bamboo (a complete misnomer because its culms are green, at most fading to an olive yellow with age) is very common. |
![120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys-aureosulcata-Spectabilis_01 120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys-aureosulcata-Spectabilis_01](//lh6.ggpht.com/-nOxUK7MYvuU/T5tD0MRik0I/AAAAAAAARfk/6XaHWA4x9Ig/120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys-aureosulcata-Spectabilis_01_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Phyllostachys aureosulcata ‘Spectabilis’ |
![120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys-aureosulcata-Spectabilis_04 120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys-aureosulcata-Spectabilis_04](//lh4.ggpht.com/-kBvtBrP7fu0/T5tD2wWRHsI/AAAAAAAARf0/bxkBUpGVY00/120427_Hakone_Phyllostachys-aureosulcata-Spectabilis_04_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Stand of Phyllostachys aureosulcata ‘Spectabilis’ |
![120427_Hakone_242 120427_Hakone_242](//lh3.ggpht.com/-p9L9wNh6XLk/T5tD5j8FikI/AAAAAAAARgE/NSPJAgRYW-8/120427_Hakone_242_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Harvested bamboo poles for sale at gift shop. The perfect souvenir for visitors who come in a pickup truck! |
![120427_Hakone_241 120427_Hakone_241](//lh6.ggpht.com/--yixtDljePI/T5tD7Si1G7I/AAAAAAAARgU/scdVG_SdYus/120427_Hakone_241_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Price list for bamboo poles |
While the extensive use of bamboo creates a tranquil Asian atmosphere, trees native to California serve as a subtle reminder of where we actually are. I love how harmoniously the Japanese garden elements integrate into the archetypical California landscape.
![120427_Hakone_212 120427_Hakone_212](//lh5.ggpht.com/-HqjZyU4akWM/T5tEBLXVeBI/AAAAAAAARg0/-KZ4haeaxSA/120427_Hakone_212_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Main gate flanked by massive redwood trees |
![120427_Hakone_187 120427_Hakone_187](//lh4.ggpht.com/-aAXgD46egrQ/T5tEDvBCaKI/AAAAAAAARhE/7DEvakm8d3w/120427_Hakone_187_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Lower house and Zen garden protected by a California oak tree |
![120427_Hakone_172 120427_Hakone_172](//lh6.ggpht.com/-6CDRLJbQeRU/T5tEHAPuOBI/AAAAAAAARhU/8kMRBuxuNxA/120427_Hakone_172_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Another oak tree with twisted branches |
![120427_Hakone_237 120427_Hakone_237](//lh6.ggpht.com/-jWnymtzdtoc/T5tEK7ezf-I/AAAAAAAARhk/vN8dbBxVDUg/120427_Hakone_237_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Even the parking lot has its oak sentinel |
It is ironic that it took a visit from a German friend to prompt me to visit Hakone. He lives half way around the world and had been there before, whereas I live just two hours away and had never been. But now that I know how beautiful Hakone is, I will be back very soon.
What a place! Will have to add it to my list of west-coast gardens to visit someday.
ReplyDeleteThank Eric for me. :-)
Knowing how much you love bamboo, wait till you see my post from the bamboo garden at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills :-)
DeleteTrust me to hover over the koi photo the longest, lol!
ReplyDeleteSeriously stunning! I was going through the photos posted on FB last night, saying wow after well whilst seeing those well maintained bamboos and the general composition of the garden.
As for bamboos, no chance of a heterocycla here though. We'll have to make do with aurea :)
Beautiful photographs. I am using your panoramic shot for my desktop image. Thanks!
ReplyDelete