Japanese Friendship Garden

REMINDER! Tomorrow March 3rd is FREE admission for all San Diego County Residents at the Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum! 🌸 We hope you’ll join us to experience the beautiful start of cherry blossom season and celebrate the arrival of spring in the garden.🌱

ID / Proof of SD residency required 🪪

Upcoming SD Resident Free Tuesdays:
April 21st
May 19th
June 16th

🌸 Calling All Cherry Blossom Volunteers!!! 🌸

Our annual Cherry Blossom Festival is coming up fast — almost as fast as these blossoms fall! 🌬️🌸

Signups to volunteer for CBF 2026 are still open, and we need YOUR help to make this year’s festival unforgettable! From crowd control and admissions to assisting as Happi Helpers with our environmental partners, , every role helps bring the magic of hanami to life.

Come be part of the beauty, the community, and the joy. 🌸✨

Spots fill quickly — sign up today and celebrate spring with us!

https://www.niwa.org/volunteer

As we prepare for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, here’s a look back at the cherry blossoms throughout the years in the Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum. Each season tells a story, and we’re excited to bloom alongside them once again for another beautiful cherry blossom season🌸☺️

We hope to see you this cherry blossom season! Cherry Blossom Festival tickets are now available. https://www.niwa.org/cbftickets✨

🌹Ai no Niwa🌹

Why buy just a bouquet for Valentine's Day... when you can give them a garden! Enjoy a private dining experience at JFGM this Valentine's Day. Only a few spots remain, make your reservations today. 🍽️🌹

https://www.niwa.org/ai-no-niwa

Call for artists!🎨 Submit original artwork inspired by the garden’s cherry blossom trees. Selected artworks will be displayed from February 21, 2026 to April 21, 2026. Submissions are open to local, national, professional, and amateur artists with various mediums allowed. The submission deadline is February 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM PST. Learn more at www.niwa.org/cbfexhibit

Happy holidays from JFGM!🎁🌟

Join us on this Saturday November 22nd to shop 20+ small businesses at JFGM's Holiday Market🎁 Make holiday shopping fun by enjoying local vendors, unique gifts, and the Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum🎄🛍️ Take a scroll and meet some of the vendors that will be at this year's Holiday Market!

*Included with garden admission👏

What: JFGMs Holiday Market🎁
Where: Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum🎍
When: November 22nd | 10:00am-4:00pm✨

We hope to see you this weekend!


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✨ The Journey of JFGM’s Kannon Bosatsu ✨

Created in 1735 by Tokugawa-period iron smith Takumi Obata, this cast bronze Kannon Bosatsu once resided in Kamakura, Japan before being brought to the Middlegate Japanese Garden in Mississippi in the early 1900s.

After Hurricane Katrina devastated the site in 2005, the damaged statue was rescued and later donated to JFGM by Mr. and Mrs. Gabrych in 2017. With support from the California Cultural Historical Endowment, County of San Diego, the Parker Foundation, and individual donors—plus conservation by Jill Hari Art Conservation—the statue has been fully restored.

This 12-ft, 5,750-lb cast bronze Kannon rests peacefully in our lower garden, surrounded by a newly installed stream and lush flora—inviting reflection, gratitude, and connection to centuries of cultural history.🪷✨

Have you seen the Kannon Bosatsu when visiting JFGM?

Fall hues turning every corner into a picture-perfect moment 🍂📸

Hello, first day of fall at the Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum🍂✨Autumn leaves, graceful koi, timeless bonsai, and fleeting dragonflies - nature's harmony in every season!

Love Letters from the Heian Period – Emotions in 31 Syllables Curated by Harumi Osawa. Discovering the refined culture of courtly love through poetic expression, the graceful use of kana script.