after years of wanting to go. The gardens are amazingly beautiful, the flowers are exquisite, the trees exude peace. The zen gardens (I made up that name, I’m not sure what they were called) are beautiful. I’ve never been to Japan, so this was a great introduction to Japanese culture and landscaping. Sadly I neglected to recharge my camera batteries so I only got a few shots before they died on me.

The staff is very friendly, helpful and courteous, people who enjoy what they do. Entrance fee is $10 for adults, but we got in for $6 due to a student discount (this isn’t advertised, always ask for these discounts).

On the trail, I was very pleased to find a tree that I enjoyed when I was a kid. It produces a small guava with red skin and white flesh, very tart and yummy. We spent a good 20 minutes picking fruits from the tree and eating while passerbys looked at us strangely.

The bonsai garden is mindblowing, and the traditional Japanese house is worth visiting. Shoes have to be removed and they provide paper slippers to tour the exhibits inside the house.

Back in the main building, we stopped at the gift shop on our way out and I bought a sake set that caught my eye. They had really cool stuff, most reasonably priced, other things ridiculously overpriced as in any gift shop. This is a place I will definitely go back and revisit with more time (and recharged camera batteries).

Tip: The gardens are first and foremost, a “trail”—almost a mile long. A summer afternoon with a 112F heat index is not ideal to do this. If you want to enjoy the serenity of the place, I would personally recommend visiting under more welcoming weather, even though I give them credit for placing water stations along the trail.