Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum

Very Zen place. A good amount of people but the environment is amazing. If you go during the season, the Jasmine smells incredible and heady. So many of them all along the paths. The inside of the buildings with the displays of Japanese arts super nice. There's a kitty that works there too in the garden. He's super mellow and doesn't even pay attention to the people. I wonder if his job is to keep the place free of rodents? If so, he's doing a great job because I didn't see any rodents. The paths are awesome. The plants and trees are incredibly well Manicured the rock garden is super cool!. There's some good seating and a koi pond as well. Admission is a bit expensive but totally worth it when you think about us having such an amazing place available to go and visit with friends from out of town. Or just if you want some peace and quiet for yourself. Definitely recommend.

Great garden to visit. Free to San Diego residents on the 3rd Tuesday of the month (check Balboa Park website because I think there are months that aren’t included). They had food vendors and other things going on when we visited. I am not sure if that is the norm but it was enjoyable. Very cute souvenirs in the gift shop and the information center had arts and crafts which was fun! Great place for a picnic lunch or just to visit and sit for awhile. It was very busy when we went, might be nice to visit off of peak times but would go again.

My husband and I had such a nice time here, worth taking the time to come and see. Very peaceful, and the ice cream truck is a plus when it was a little warm. Try the Avacado pistachio. You won't regret it❤️ love the gift shop as well.

Such a beautiful place to relax and unwind. The koi ponds are amazing and the bonsai trees are impressive. We easily spent a couple hours here enjoying the scenery. It’s definitely worth the $16 entry free. There’s a little gift shop in the center of the gardens, and a wonderful tea shop just outside the entry gate.

we went two weeks ago n absolutely loved this place. we missed the cherry blossoms season, but everything else was still breathtaking. i was feeling anxious for a while n this place calmed me down n gave me a lot of serenity. lots of benches to sit on n there weren’t too many people when we went- even tho it was a saturday! also the restroom was clean. i’d love to go back next year. 🌸

We visited the Japanese Friendship Garden, so beautiful, it felt like time paused. I wish we could've stayed longer. All I wanted was to sit under the trees, write poems, and get lost in my book. My kind of peace.✋🏻

One of the most serene and beautiful gardens ever. Located right in balboa park. This large garden provides an Eden amongst the bustle of balboa park. I paid $16 for general admission on a Monday. I was 1 of 12 people to enter at opening. I spent about 2hrs here soaking in everything and seeing every inch of the garden. They have a small gift shop available. I bought a lavender pouch and chopsticks. I recommend this place for anyone who loves plants and beautiful scenery.

Beautiful garden, plenty of space to stretch out and take In the vibes. Gorgeous Japanese architecture and Koi ponds, as well as a cool Buddha statue from the 1700’s. Great for kids and groups of people who take the whole path up while walking towards you :)