Shoot the Breeze #3

Hi Everyone!

It’s Tuesday, June 27th, 2023

Enjoy this issue! Be Well! Stay Safe!

Mark & Patti

When In San Francisco and You Need a Little Time Alone

Nestled in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco's Japanese Tea Garden is one of the city's most popular places, attracting visitors from around the globe, yet it still manages to retain a sense of tranquility. Filled with stone pathways that meander through forests, ponds swirling with koi, towering pagodas and an authentic Japanese tea house, it's a must-visit San Francisco destination.

Today's Japanese Tea Garden started as a "Japanese Village," a main attraction in the 1894 California Midwinter Exposition, whose exhibits attempted to represent world cultures — in reality, it featured a massive display of racist tropes. 

The Japanese Village was the brainchild of George Turner Marsh, an Australian importer and furniture collector who had lived in Japan. Marsh imported plants, structures and hired craftsmen directly from Japan to create the exhibit. For 25 cents, visitors could experience the Shuro-no-mon gate, manicured gardens, waterfalls, ponds, tea rooms, the Ni-Kai-Yashiki (a two-story nobleman's house), an artist's studio, a restaurant and the Drum Bridge, whose dramatically curved silhouette remains one of the garden's signature features today.

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