Hakone Gardens

Hakone Gardens is an 18-acre Japanese estate in Saratoga with terraced hillside gardens, traditional buildings, tiered waterfalls, koi ponds, stone lanterns, and bamboo groves. The grounds are carefully composed to create a harmonious landscape where natural features flow together.

Isabel and Oliver Stine founded this Japanese estate in 1917 following their travels to Japan, naming it after the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. The property reflects early 1900s American interest in Japanese design and aesthetics.

The grounds are divided into four distinct areas that showcase different Japanese traditions: a Zen meditation garden, a bamboo grove, a tea ceremony space, and walking paths. Visitors can experience how Japanese design principles shape the way people move through and use each section.

The property is built on a hillside, so visitors should wear comfortable shoes and plan to walk at their own pace through sloping paths. The best time to visit is spring and fall when the weather is mild and the plants are most active.

The property houses rare bamboo specimens gifted from Japan in 1985, maintained in a specialized USDA-approved greenhouse at the site's highest point. Many visitors walk past this collection without realizing the rarity and care required to keep these plants alive.