In 1915, Isabel Stine attended the opening ceremony of the Panama Canal. Many countries around the world set up exhibits demonstrating their various cultures. In this crowd of exhibits, one in particular stood out to Stine as being beautiful and unique: Japan's Tea Ceremony. One year later, Stine went on a trip to Japan to explore their culture. There she visited the Fuji-Hakone National Park. John Tauchi, a volunteer at the Hakone Gardens said, "I cannot say one hundred percent, but our best guess is this is where Hakone Gardens got it's name. Stine possibly took sketches of the gardens in Hakone Park." Then upon return to the United States, she recreated the gardens. That same year, Stine bought 16 acres of land in Saratoga to be used as the site of her rendition of the gardens she saw in Japan.The first building in Stine's garden, built in 1918, was the Upper House, designed by architect Tsunematsu Shintani. The House was constructed without nails. The purpose of the house was to be a place where one could view the beautiful gardens and, on a clear summer night view the moon.
The second building constructed was assembled in 1922. This three bedroom building, The Lower House, was originally intended to be the family's summer retreat. However, in 1980 The Lower House was remodeled by the city of Saratoga giving it two CHA-SHITSU, or tea ceremony rooms. The City's intent for the newly remodeled building was to provide the community with access to a traditional Japanese facility.
Lastly, the Cultural Exchange Center was completed in 1991 as a perfect reproduction of an ancient 19th-century Kyoto tea merchant's house. The Cultural Exchange Center was first constructed in Japan, then each piece of the building was labeled, packaged, and shipped to the Saratoga gardens. There, seven construction workers re-assembled the building. The final cost of this construction, approximately $250,000, was provided by a Japanese dermatologist practicing in Tokyo. Whenever this doctor would visit the United States, the Cultural Exchange Center would act as his home. Similar to The Lower House, this building can be used to demonstrate the Japanese Tea Ceremony. The public is invited to attend a Japanese Tea Ceremony the first Thursday of every month from 1:00pm-4:00pm.
Hakone Gardens, along with Saratoga's sister city Muko, offer a $500 "Gomersall scholarship" to people with an interest in the Japanese culture. Applicants must submit a proposal to Hakone Gardens for review. In 1994, a fourteen year old high school student won with a presentation on Sumo wrestling. Last year, a professor at Foothill College received the scholarship for his construction and maintenance of a bamboo park. People who are interested in the scholarship should inquire at (408)354-1567, or contact John Tauchi at (408)867-9133.
Our final conclusion on the Hakone Japanese gardens is that the gardens provide a good resource on the Japanese culture for the general public, especially Japanese-Americans interested in their culture. Docent tours are given weekends 1:00pm-4:00pm April through September. In addition, the Gardens has a gift shop open daily from 12:30pm-4:30pm. Please contact the Hakone Foundation (408)741-4994. The gardens are a great place to spend a relaxing afternoon in beautiful scenery.
WRITTEN BY: Aaron Weast Sonia Leal Anna Copeland Bruce McGregor