Watch live: Take a virtual tour of historic Hakone Gardens

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Join us as we explore Hakone Gardens, the century-old, 18-acre garden and estate in Saratoga.

Hakone Gardens and Estate was established in 1915 to be an authentic replica of a samurai or shogun’s estate. San Francisco couple Oliver and Isabel Stine commissioned the estate after being inspired by Asian garden displays at that year’s Pan-Pacific Exhibition.

Several historic buildings are nestled among the gardens. The Upper House, built in 1918, sits on the slope of the Moon Viewing Hill. The Lower House, constructed in 1922, blends traditional Japanese construction with the early California bungalow style. The Cultural Exchange Center, built in 1991, is an authentic reproduction of a 19th-century Kyoto tea merchant’s house and shop.

During the mid-20th century, the gardens fell into disrepair; they were rescued in the 1960s by a group of prominent Chinese families. Today, Hakone is owned by the city of Saratoga and administered by the Hakone Foundation.

To read more about the garden and estate, check out these stories by Linda Zavoral and Angela Hill.