There is a small but gorgeous Japanese Garden in Saratoga just past the village called Hakone Gardens
. It is so authentic that when they were searching for the location to film Memoirs of a Geisha they thought this place ideal and had the whole film crew take over the place- but it really is a beautiful and serene place. In the summers there are red and blue dragonflies and in the winter as it is now there is a certain stillness. There are few flowering plants but there is so much texture.
The bamboo forest is really so lovely with all the linear lines heading toward the heavens. You could do some serious meditatation there.
There is a Koi pond with a little bridge over and in the summers you see a lot of turtles sunning themselves.
There is a modest entrance fee although for kids 4 and under it is free. My kids love running around the hills and exploring the trails that run up and down the hill. Several hours of peace for the grown ups and exhausted kids at the end- they take long naps after - a double treat for me! It certainly is better for all of us both physically and for the soul than a movie and less expensive to boot. Check it out if you're ever in Saratoga, CA.
. It is so authentic that when they were searching for the location to film Memoirs of a Geisha they thought this place ideal and had the whole film crew take over the place- but it really is a beautiful and serene place. In the summers there are red and blue dragonflies and in the winter as it is now there is a certain stillness. There are few flowering plants but there is so much texture.
The bamboo forest is really so lovely with all the linear lines heading toward the heavens. You could do some serious meditatation there.
There is a Koi pond with a little bridge over and in the summers you see a lot of turtles sunning themselves. 
There is a modest entrance fee although for kids 4 and under it is free. My kids love running around the hills and exploring the trails that run up and down the hill. Several hours of peace for the grown ups and exhausted kids at the end- they take long naps after - a double treat for me! It certainly is better for all of us both physically and for the soul than a movie and less expensive to boot. Check it out if you're ever in Saratoga, CA.
Wow! I never knew about this place. I gotta go. TFS!
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