Hakone is the oldest Japanese estate garden in the Western Hemisphere. It was founded by Isabel Stine, a San Franciscan who was so enthralled by the Japan Pavilion at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition she wanted to have her own Japanese garden and retreat. Hakone’s Centennial Exhibit features photographs of the Stine family at the 1915 Exposition, Isabel Stine’s trip to Japan the following year, and the creation of the Japanese country estate in Saratoga, California. An accompanying 17 minute video, “Hakone’s Century of Beauty and Endurance” tells the story of how this Japanese garden evolved from an inspiration at the 1915 Exposition to the beautiful public park it is today.

Some of the plants and dwarf trees of Isabel Stine’s early garden came from the Japan Pavilion at the PPIE. Visitors are invited to stroll through the gardens and see the extraordinary architecture of the buildings and the garden features that were derived from the Japan Pavilion at the 1915 Exposition.

Hakone’s Centennial Exhibit takes place in Cultural Exchange Center, a replica tea merchant’s house.
Hakone is a 17 acre public park, owned by the City of Saratoga, operated and maintained by Hakone Foundation.