Japanese Gardens : Japanese gardens are among the area’s most tranquil retreats, and many are available as venues for weddings and wedding receptions.
1. UCLA HANNAH CENTER
* 10619 Bellagio Road, Bel-Air
This two-acre hidden garden has flourished for more than 30 years within blocks of the Hotel Bel-Air and across the street from UCLA. It was created in 1959 by Japanese architect Nagao Sakurai for oilman Gordon Green Guilberson in memory of Guilberson’s mother. Six years later, Broadway department store magnate and UC Regents Chairman Edward W. Carter and his wife, Hannah, who had bought the property, donated the garden to UCLA. A 400,000-year-old stone, called “jade rock,” was brought here from Japan, along with 400 tons of rocks and boulders, the main gate, a teahouse, a shrine and bridges. Individual tours are given from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and from noon to 3 p.m. Wednesdays. Guided group tours can be arranged for Wednesday and Friday mornings. (310) 825-4574
2. TILLMAN WATER RECLAMATION PLANT
* Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area, 6100 Woodley Ave., Van Nuys
In the midst of the San Fernando Valley, next to a modern sewage plant, lies an oasis--a lush 6 1/2-acre garden that demonstrates a positive use of reclaimed water. Amid the abundant greenery are waterfalls, lakes, streams, hand-carved stone lanterns and a teahouse. A dry Zen meditation garden--a small part of the main garden--features “tortoise island,” a large grass mound rising out of a sea of pebbles and representing the animal, which symbolizes longevity. Tours by reservation only. (818) 756-8166
3. YAMASHIRO RESTAURANT and BERNHEIMER’S GARDEN
* 1999 N. Sycamore Ave., Hollywood
One of the best views in the city can be seen from this replica of a Japanese mountain palace. The sprawling restaurant, set in a Japanese garden with a 600-year-old pagoda, was built in 1913 as a private home for two brothers, Adolph and Eugene Bernheimer, importers of Asian art. The restaurant and gardens are often used as settings for films. Open daily. (213) 466-5125
4. BRAND PARK
* 1601 W. Mountain St., Glendale
In 1912, Leslie C. Brand, a
Glendale founding father, was
famous for the lavish celebrity
fly-in parties he threw at his mansion. Private planes landed on Kenneth Road and taxied up El Miradero toward his estate. Today, the airstrip is a street, the mansion is an art and music library, and the estate is a park, complete with a Japanese teahouse and garden. (818) 548-3782
5. HUNTINGTON LIBRARY
AND GARDENS
* 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino
This five-acre garden has a 16th-Century bonsai collection, carved votive stones representing Buddhist deities, an 18th-Century temple bell, drum and moon bridges, a dry Zen garden and a five-room Japanese house. The Japanese garden is one of the library’s 12 gardens. Open 1 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. A donation of $4 to $7.50 is requested. (818) 405-2275
A few blocks away is the newly restored Japanese garden at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel, 1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena. The Picture Bridge, built in 1913, with its gabled roof, spans a stream feeding into the garden.
6. SIERRA MADRE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
* 141 W. Highland Ave., Sierra Madre
A volunteer group of 14 sixth-graders is trying to restore a 65-year-old Japanese garden and erect a marker about its history. In 1930, on the school grounds, Issei parents of about two dozen Japanese American schoolchildren built a traditional garden as a gesture of goodwill. During World War II, students vandalized the garden, which was never repaired. Now, after months of carwashes and bake sales, students plan to complete the restoration project before school ends and unveil the new garden in a formal tea ceremony. (818) 355-1428
7. JAMES IRVINE GARDEN
* Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, 244 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles
This 8,500-square-foot garden, also called Seiryu-En (Garden of the Clear Stream), is named for Irvine Ranch founder James Irvine, whose foundation contributed $250,000 of the initial $400,000 cost. Designed by landscape architect Takeo Uesugi, the garden sits at the edge of Little Tokyo with a stream that winds down a slope through flowers, bamboo and trees. Take the elevator down to the center’s basement level and follow the corridor. Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. (213) 628-2725
8. NEW OTANI HOTEL
* 120 S. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles
Overlooking Downtown, this unusual half-acre garden is on the Garden Level (third floor) of the hotel. More than 50 types of plants, shrubs and trees grow around the walkways, ponds and waterfall. The Sado Island red stones come from the private collection of the late Yonetaro Otani, founder of the hotel chain. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. (213) 629-1200
Other notable Japanese gardens: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Veterans Affairs complex in West Los Angeles, Cal State Long Beach, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge and Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier. A Japanese garden show is held at the Nakaoka Memorial Community Center in Gardena every September.
