Texan Magazine
By Bill Dante
There’s a serenely magical, tropical paradise with a majestic waterfall and lush blooming gardens right in the heart of River City. A secret garden in San Antonio? You would be surprised at the number of people who have no idea that such a hidden beauty exists. Then there’s the other group who may know about it, but have never gone, or they visited this calming and meditative place a long time ago.
The hidden garden is the newly renovated Japanese Tea Garden. Admission is free! It’s located downtown in Brackenridge Park, close to the San Antonio zoo.
I’m guilty of not having been there in a while because the last time I was there was when I was doing a live weather broadcast in the 1990s.
And somehow life happens and you wrongly believe that you have to travel far and wide to see such botanical beauty. I had been next door to events at the Sunken Garden Amphitheater many times, ….but that doesn’t count.
So recently I jumped in the car with my better half, the editor of Texan Magazine, to see for ourselves. On the drive there, we discussed how neither of us had been there in decades for one reason or another. When we arrived, we parked across from Brackenridge Park on the street level and walked up the small hill towards the sign pointing the way towards the entrance to the Tea Garden. When you reach the top of the hill you are truly not prepared for the stunning beauty that awaits you. The gorgeous landscape and the majestic waterfall absolutely takes your breath away!
Looking down into the water-garden from the top of the hill, you immediately notice vibrant shades of green foliage and brightly blooming tropical flowers in every color nestled between the many pristine and expansive pools of crystal clear water.
Huge, colorful koi fish, some with shimmering metallic scales, glistened in the water as they gently glided by. The hypnotic, slow cadence of the way they swam immediately puts you in a meditative relaxing state of mind, as if you’ve been transported to an exotic tropical locale.
History
In the 1840s the area was way outside the city limits, especially on horseback, and a small limestone quarry was created by German masons for new home building. (The limestone from this small quarry was also used to build the Menger hotel back in 1859 for Mary and Bill Menger).
Rumor has it that the architect of the Menger used some of the same limestone to repair portions of the Alamo.
Now as San Antonio grew to the north it pushed the quarries further north. Think about it, the shopping areas near Alamo Heights and the Rim were all once quarries.
Today, when you approach the Japanese Tea Garden you will notice a quaint, historic row of small stone houses. During the late 1800s some of the quarry workers lived on site in a small Mexican type village. They sold hand made pottery, baskets and other unique items.
It wasn’t until 1917 that the old quarry site was turned into an oriental style garden with extensive stone walkways, arched bridges and even a Japanese pagoda.
Unique Design- Concrete That Looks Like Wood
Dionicio Rodriguez, a well known artist, even created and copied an authentic Japanese Torii gate. His unbelievable groundbreaking unique style was way ahead of his time.
This is where it really started to take shape and begin to develop into the wonderful garden that we have today. In 1919 Kimi Eizo Jingu, a Japanese-American artist and his wife moved into the garden as caretakers and opened the Bamboo Room in 1926 for lunch and tea. They even raised eight children on the grounds.
Eventually World War II broke out and under public pressure the Jingus who had lovingly and devotedly cared for the Japanese Tea Garden were evicted due to national temperament against all things Japanese.
The city feared the prospect of destruction and vandalism because of the name ‘“Japanese” on the garden entrance, so to protect the garden during that time, the name was changed to Chinese Tea Garden. That saved it from being destroyed by anti-Japanese vandals. However, in 1984 it was changed back to its original name with a special ceremony attended by the Jingu family and representatives of the Japanese government.
Fast forward. Years passed and it was in pretty bad shape. After a lack of care, vandalism and graffiti, the city finally spent over two million dollars and renovated the Japanese Tea Garden. The renewal was started in 2008 and finished in 2011 with a public dedication ceremony. Typically, this type of Japanese Tea Garden is made from natural landscape and aged materials avoiding an artificial feel and ambiance. Water is a special feature from ponds, waterfalls and beautiful exotic koi in a rainbow of colors. Flowers are very important with placement of large Japanese and tropical trees. Thus giving the entire Tea Garden a pleasant, relaxing natural feel.
Remember, attendance is free and they are open from 7am til 5pm. To say it is beautiful is an understatement. Plan on taking your time, from one to two hours. It’s your schedule and time so you can stay as long as you want. There is the highly rated Jingu restaurant for lunch and refreshments, featuring authentically prepared Japanese dishes. (Bringing your own food onto the grounds is not allowed). Although right across the street in Brackenridge Park, you will find picnic tables.
Next door to the gardens, you will definitely want to try some of the best BBQ in Texas. Augie’s Barbed Wire Smokehouse is legendary!
I hope you’ll go and enjoy a piece of San Antonio’s history. What started as a small limestone quarry is now on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s not really a secret but fun to imagine that it’s our secret garden.
Enjoy!!
