Cruise Buzz

San Diego Cruise Port Activity Review

San Diego’s Balboa Park is the place to be if you are looking to spend the day exploring the 1,200-acre urban cultural park that is home to 15 major museums, performing arts venues, gardens, and the San Diego Zoo. Getting to Balboa Park is a quick ride from the pier where the cruise ships dock in the downtown San Diego area.

If you are seeking a little  Zen during your urban adventure, then stop by The Japanese Friendship Garden to get off-the-grid and to leave the hustle-and-bustle behind.

As a member of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, the Japanese Friendship Garden is one of 26 arts, science, and culture institutions in Balboa Park.

A treat for locals and visitors

The Japanese Friendship Garden Society of San Diego’s mission is to provide a center to educate, engage, and inspire people of diverse backgrounds about Japanese culture and community legacy.  The Japanese Friendship Garden is an expression of friendship between San Diego and its sister city, Yokohama. It illustrates two cultures and creates an immersive experience into Japanese culture. The Garden’s design is based on centuries-old Japanese techniques adapted to San Diego’s climate.  Since 1991, the Japanese Friendship Garden has undergone three phases of development expanding on the original concept. The last phase of expansion was completed in 2015, and it added acreage and also included the addition of a 200 cherry tree grove, large azalea and camellia garden, a water feature reminiscent of the San Diego watershed, and the state of the art Inamori Pavilion.

 

The Garden sits on a 12-acre plot and offers a variety of programs, exhibits, and festivals to teach visitors about Japanese culture. As a valued community resource, it is well known for its unique setting, stone arrangements, koi ponds, water features,

It’s all about the details

Look at the stone arrangements, koi ponds, water features, sukiya-style buildings and landscape.