On Friday I took my mom to visit the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden, which is owned by UCLA but about a mile north of the campus.About ten years ago I remember looking up all the Japanese gardens in the Los Angeles area, and being surprised that UCLA had one (you almost have to search for it to find out that it exists). In any case, I had the opportunity to go last week, and I thought my mother might enjoy seeing it as well, so I made a reservation through email. The garden is (inconveniently) only open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10 AM to 3 PM.
And because it is in the middle of an exclusive Bel-Air neighborhood, there is no street parking, and the small parking lot will only accommodate two vehicles at a time.
Inside the traditional Japanese gate is a tranquil garden with a large pond near its opening, flowing streams, and a curious mixture of Japanese buildings and design, and plant life native to Southern California. Because the garden was built between 1959 and 1961 on what was the backyard of a local estate, most of the garden is on a steep hillside, and touring the garden involves visiting the different areas while climbing up to the top of the hillside and then climbing back down to the entrance.
Along the way, there are potted bonsai trees, a viewing deck, a Buddhist shrine, an outdoor sunken bath, benches for sitting and viewing, a small pagoda, stepping stones across the pond, and stone animals like chickens and turtles.
All in all, it was a wonderful way to escape from the vicissitudes of daily life for an hour (the limit of a reservation), and enjoy the beauty and peace of a public Japanese garden in the middle of Los Angeles.
