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Old 07-23-2016, 07:58 AM
 
Location: Dallas, TX
278 posts, read 335,471 times
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Has anyone been to both Seattle Japanese Garden and Kubota Garden? According to Wikipedia, Seattle Japanese Garden is only about 3 acres (which sounds awfully small ) whereas Kubota is 20 acres. I have out of town visitors coming up and wanted to know which of these 2 Japanese gardens the locals prefer or think is prettier as we only have time to visit only one.

I am a big fan of Japanese gardens and have been to the one in San Francisco, San Jose, and Saratoga but have not visited any around here yet.
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Old 07-23-2016, 10:18 AM
 
1,070 posts, read 2,028,196 times
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My preference would be the Seattle Japanese Garden in the Arboretum. In my opinion, it's better maintained and much more defined so if it's only a one-time shot for a visitor, that would be my recommendation. Kubota is much more spread out and things don't seem as designated ...and I've noticed places that just don't look well planned.

eta: Kubota is free but the garden in the Arboretum charges a fee. Both are gorgeous overall but, is the admission fee worth it for the garden in the Arboretum? If you have a large group, perhaps not.

I just looked it up and the current admission is:

Adults 18-64: $6
Youths 6–17, Senior Adults 65+, College students with ID, & Disabled: $4
Children 0-5: FREE

That could get expensive if you are taking a large group.

Last edited by poopskooper; 07-23-2016 at 10:27 AM..
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Old 07-23-2016, 10:31 AM
 
Location: Seattle
1,882 posts, read 2,078,525 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bolo99 View Post
I have out of town visitors coming up and wanted to know which of these 2 Japanese gardens the locals prefer or think is prettier as we only have time to visit only one.
By any chance are you planning on taking your friends on a ferry ride? (You should.)

If so, consider taking the shuttle bus from the Bainbridge ferry terminal to the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. The Japanese garden there is terrific, but there's also a lot more to see - moss garden, reflecting pools, cool trails... It's a terrific day. The Japanese garden at Bloedel is very highly rated by those who rate such things.

Home - Bloedel Reserve
B.I. RIDE Transit Bus | Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce

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Old 07-23-2016, 11:37 AM
 
9,618 posts, read 27,330,094 times
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It's hard to compare the Japanese Garden at the arboretum with Kubota. The Japanese Garden is a more traditional Japanese garden, while Kubota is Japanese-American. There are a lot more paths and trails in Kubota, and a certain amount of steepness. I happen to love Kubota, but it's not for everybody. If you're able bodied, can walk up a hill, and enjoy meandering, Kubota's awesome. If you just want to look at something pretty, the Japanese garden at the arboretum is better. Also, the rest of the arboretum is well worth visiting, so you can do more than one thing close to each other.
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Old 07-26-2016, 05:34 PM
 
50 posts, read 92,699 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gardyloo View Post
By any chance are you planning on taking your friends on a ferry ride? (You should.)

If so, consider taking the shuttle bus from the Bainbridge ferry terminal to the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. The Japanese garden there is terrific, but there's also a lot more to see - moss garden, reflecting pools, cool trails... It's a terrific day. The Japanese garden at Bloedel is very highly rated by those who rate such things.

Home - Bloedel Reserve
B.I. RIDE Transit Bus | Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce
Bloedel is awesome, but be sure to make reservations.
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Old 09-08-2016, 06:19 PM
 
Location: Dallas, TX
278 posts, read 335,471 times
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I ended up visiting Kubota Garden and there wasn't much to see. It looks like an abandoned park. I was very disappointed to say the least. I was not impressed by this Japanese-American garden.
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Old 09-08-2016, 09:21 PM
 
Location: Seattle
8,169 posts, read 8,289,381 times
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No comparison. Seattle Japanese Garden feels like Japan (I know, I've been there). Read the history on this link, it's creation was quite a feat: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Japanese_Garden
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Old 09-10-2016, 01:49 PM
 
Location: Independent Republic of Ballard
8,067 posts, read 8,358,268 times
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With Kubota Gardens, probably a matter of mismatched expectations. It's not a Japanese garden, for one thing, but was a garden created by a Japanese-American gardener as an adjunct to his nursery and landscaping business (still operated by his family). It was bought by the City of Seattle in 1987 and has since been operated as a free public park.

Kubota Garden (Seattle) - HistoryLink.org
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