The most beautiful Japanese gardens in L.A.

You’ll find cultural glories inside the Huntington’s impressive book and art collections, but the San Marino institution’s true highlights are outdoors in its vast jigsaw of themed botanical gardens. Its serene Japanese garden is a clear standout, and a sizable one at that: Climb a hill through a bamboo forest to find a bonsai collection, pass through the zen court and you’ll encounter a traditional five-room house (with a ceremonial teahouse hidden behind it) and descend the stairs to stroll around the moon bridge and koi ponds. The garden also now sports a more than 300-year-old home that’s been transported here from Marugame.

This nearly two-acre private Japanese garden and traditional teahouse opens its doors to the public a few days each week; reservations are typically available for Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings and afternoons. First constructed in the late 1930s, the garden features two ponds, four bridges and a cascading waterfall, all centered around a Japanese tea house. The current structure was painstakingly restored after a fire in 1981; the original was created in Japan by landscape designer and craftsman Kinzuchi Fujii.

Most of the grounds of this La Cañada Flintridge garden celebrate the natural horticultural magic of Southern California. But aside from the rose garden and a seasonal tulip field, the Japanese garden is easily the most manicured—and the area with the highest concentration of cherry blossoms in the spring. Cross over the arched bridge and a koi-filled stream and you’ll find a tea house donated by the Japanese-American community.

This appropriately titled Japanese garden sits just across from the Sepulveda Basin on the border of Van Nuys. The stony bridges and footpaths wind along a central pond, flanked by rockwork, manicured trees and tea houses. Believe it or not, all of that flora provides cover for a bit of an industrial edge: The garden is irrigated by the adjacent Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant. Free reservations are available up to a couple of weeks in advance.

Take a stroll around the serene central pond at this 1.3-acre garden on the Cal State Long Beach campus. The Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden hosts lectures, screenings, workshops and an annual origami festival. Dedicated in April 1981, the free-to-visit garden was a gift from Loraine Miller Collins in memory of her late husband, Earl Burns Miller. Since the gardens are sometimes closed for private functions, you’ll need to book a free reservation to secure your visit.

Situated on the edge of Little Tokyo, this high-rise hotel has a small Japanese garden hidden atop its parking garage. The compact but finely manicured garden is used primarily as an event space, but it’s also perfect for afternoon respites and evening strolls alike. Technically it’s limited to guests of the hotel, so start coming up with a good excuse as to why you can’t find your room key.

This South Bay botanic garden covers 87 acres on the northeast side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. You’ll find a small koi pond with cascading waterfalls and pagoda lanterns just inside the garden’s entrance. It may not be as grandiose as some other entries on this list, but consider it a teaser for the rest of the flora at the worthwhile destination.

Currently, the only way to access the garden is via dinner at the Hansei pop-up.

This small, tranquil garden is one of Little Tokyo’s best-kept secrets as the urban oasis isn’t accessible from the street. To reach the space, enter the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, check in at the information window on the left, take the elevator down to level B and zigzag to your right through an unembellished hallway. It’s an ideal setting to while away a few minutes far from the hustle and bustle of the city.