Save this spot for your next trip to San Francisco: Nestled in Golden Gate Park is an homage to the city’s Japanese community: the Japanese Tea Garden. Established in 1894, it’s also the oldest maintained Japanese garden outside of Japan. It was originally created as part of the Midwinter International Exposition, but became what it is today thanks to Japanese landscape architect Makoto Hagiwara, who meticulously cared for it and expanded its grounds from 1 to 5 acres. Legend has it, he was also the one to introduce San Francisco and the United States to the fortune cookie—though the exact facts on this are murky at best. Today, highlights include the historic Drum Bridge, a towering five-story pagoda built in 1915, and the on-site cafe on site that serves Japanese snacks and (of course) tea. It also remains a symbol of the resilience of the Japanese-American community in San Francisco. So many parts of the community’s presence in California—including most of the 40-plus Japantowns scattered across the state—were lost during the World War II era of Japanese American internment. Yet this beautiful garden, as well as San Francisco’s Japantown, remain. #afarmag #sanfrancisco #sanfranciscotrip #sfhiddengems #jessiebinsanfrancisco #japaneseteagarden