By Khalida Sarwari
A local publication has figured out what a lot of people in Saratoga already know: how great Hakone Gardens is.
San Francisco Magazine recently declared the venue as being one of the best public gardens in the Bay Area. This announcement comes amid a flurry of activities planned at Hakone this month, which means if you haven’t stopped by in a while, there’s no better time than September to visit.
Hakone was featured in San Francisco Magazine’s July issue where editors selected the top people, places and things that make the Bay Area an ideal place to live, work and play. Hakone received the magazine’s nod for “best public gardens.”
Hakone Foundation executive director Shozo Kagoshima deemed the recognition “a great honor.”
“An attraction in Saratoga being named the top public garden is definitely an honor,” said Kagoshima. “There are more people that know about Hakone than we thought. To have a magazine from San Francisco select Hakone, that’s a testament to the popularity of Hakone.”
The Saratoga Sister City Committee is holding its annual moon viewing event Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. at the gardens.
Renowned tea ceremony teacher and longtime Saratoga resident Aiko Tauchi will demonstrate how to wear a kimono and tie an obi. Reiko Iwanaga, a classical dance instructor and head teacher and choreographer of San Jose Obon Dance, will follow with explanations on aspects of the art and show items used in classical Japanese dance.
The program will culminate with the “Dance of Joy,” where dancers will lead the audience in simple folk dances.
The cost for the event is $20 and includes lunch. Send a check to: Peter Marra, 12560 Wardell Court, Saratoga, CA 95070 by Sept. 8.
This month, the Sister City Committee will also be presenting Hakone’s gardener, Jacob Kellner, with a scholarship award that will go toward supporting his trip to Sendai, Japan, in October, according to Kagoshima. Kellner is expected to visit the tsunami-ravaged region to help build a memorial garden for victims.
On Sept. 27, Hakone will be celebrating its centennial birthday with a grand gala.
“The centennial is celebrating the Pan-Pacific Exposition that was held in San Francisco–that’s where Isabel Stine kind of fell in love with [Japanese] culture,” said Kagoshima.
As Kagoshima tells it, Stine went to visit Japan and upon her return, purchased the Hakone property and hired a Japanese architect and gardener to build a private garden that she named after the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park in Japan. The garden served as a summer retreat for Stine and her husband when they lived in San Francisco. The property was sold in the 1930s to Charles Lee Tilden, who operated it until the ’60s before selling it to a group of investors that included a few Saratoga residents. They, in turn, sold Hakone to the city of Saratoga in 1966 and since then it’s been the city’s property.
The gala is scheduled for 5 to 9:30 p.m. and it doubles as Hakone’s biggest fundraiser of the year. There will be a silent auction, dinner in the garden, entertainment including a koto performance and a traditional Japanese dance performance and an award ceremony where the Hakone Foundation will present awards to Isabel Stine’s grandson, Peter Stine, and Paul Sakamoto, a former educator and the longtime owner of Sakamoto Nursery in Los Gatos. Sakamoto also happens to be a generous supporter of Hakone, said Kagoshima. The master of ceremonies will be NBC-11’s Mike Inouye.
The cost for the gala is $200 per person, $125 of which is tax-deductible. Tickets can be purchased on Hakone’s website at hakone.us.
