JAPANESE GARDEN

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Special Announcement

Photos by Mary Nagan

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HOURS - 2012 Season

Feb 17 - April 1 Tues-Sun 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
April 3 - May 6 Tues-Sun 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
May 7 - Sept 16 Mon-Sun 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sept 17 - Oct 29 Mon-Sun 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Oct 30 - Nov 11 Tues-Sun 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

* Garden closing times are subject to weather, available light, and impacts of daylight savings time.

* Admission rates and Garden activities vary according with our events schedule.

ABOUT THE GARDEN

Located within the Washington Park Arboretum,this is a 3 1/2 acre formal garden designed and constructed under the supervision of world-renowned Japanese garden designer Juki Iida in 1960.

AUDIO TOUR & PODCAST

Japanese Garden Audio Podcast

Subscribe to the Japanese Garden Audio Podcast:

• Download the Audio Tour Liner Notes (PDF format)

ADMISSION

Adults 18-64: $6
Youths 6–17, Senior Adults 65+, College students with ID, & Disabled: $4
Children 0-5: FREE
» membership, tour & school fees

Admission restrictions: In order to preserve the unique nature of this garden, and ensure access for all, we do not allow picnicking, weddings, tripods, or pets.

Public Tours: The Japanese Garden offers public tours free with admission on weekend days at 12:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m., April through October. All tours start from the main gate, and are led by Arboretum Foundation Unit 86 Docents. These tours provide an educational introduction to the culture and history of the Seattle Japanese Garden.

Private and School Group Tours: Available upon request with advance notice and payment of guide reservation fee. Contact the ticket booth for details.

Exciting changes are in the air for the Japanese Garden in 2012!

We are putting in place a number of program changes as a pilot project at the Garden this year, with the introduction of three new categories! 

The Family/Dual Membership annual pass is enhanced with new flexibility to bring a guest. It now provides for entry for two adults each visit at the same price as our family pass. Current members can enjoy this new benefit by simply renewing for another year.

The new Student Pass category will provide a lower cost for annual passes for anyone with a valid college ID.

The new Photo Membership program replaces our traditional spring and fall photo sessions, as access will now be exclusive to members. There will also be, as noted below, opportunities for Members to have additional access during peak spring and fall colors.

We hope you will take the time to read through the options and new benefits listed below. 
We look forward to hearing from you with your comments and/or questions.

Seattle Japanese Garden 2012 Membership Program Change-Pilot Projects

Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Japanese Garden is expanding our annual pass offerings to include a discounted student rate and annual memberships for amateur and professional photographers.

$30:     Family/Dual Membership
            A family membership entitles the cardholder to:

• Two membership cards (One primary card with an individual’s name on it and a second card for an adult guest of the primary cardholder).
• Admission for one adult per card, per visit, plus up to three kids younger than 18.
• Two adults, per membership, per visit.

$20:     Individual Membership
            An individual membership entitles the cardholder to:

• One membership card.
• Admission for one adult per card, per visit.

$15      Student Membership – NEW!
            A student membership entitles the cardholder to:

• One membership card (You need to show a student ID from any college/university/ educational institution when you purchase this membership to get the student discount).
• One student per card per visit.

$75:     Photographer Membership – NEW!
            A photographer membership entitles the cardholder to:

• One membership card.
• One photographer per card per visit.

            Benefits of a Photographer Membership include:      

• One year’s admission to the Garden and photo shoots (without tripods) during Garden operating hours.
• Designated monthly photographer members-only access hours during eight months of the year (from March through November). The Garden will be open on these dates in 2012 for Members: every third Thursday each month from 8 to10 a.m. (March – October) and every first Saturday each month from 8 to 10 a.m. (March – November).
• Full rights to sell your Seattle Japanese Garden photos.
• Members will receive invitations to participate in additional sessions during peak Spring and Fall color, and will be advised of dates and times when scheduled. 
• The opportunity to use the Garden’s meeting room (subject to fees, approvals, and availability)
• 2012 photographer schedule:
April 7 and 19
May 5 and 17
June 2 and 21
July 7 and 19
August 4 and 16
September 1 and 20
October 6 and 18
November 3

Tateuchi Community Room Rentals

The Seattle Japanese Garden has a small meeting room available to rent on site with a maximum capacity of 49 people. The rental rates for 2011 are $60 per hour with a two hour minimum.  There is  an additional application fee of $20 along with security deposits and other building monitor fees depending on the nature of the rental.  Access to the garden is through the main gate during operational hours.  Sorry we are unable to rent the garden grounds for private events.

Ceremony Information

We regret that the Seattle Japanese Garden grounds do not accommodate private rentals of any kind, nor can it allow wedding photography during operating hours.

Seattle Parks and Recreation has a number of sites that serve as excellent ceremony venues. For more information, please go to our Weddings & Ceremonies web page.

Associated Recreation Council

The Associated Recreation Council enriches the Seattle Japanese Garden by providing recreation and lifelong learning programs, classes, and events for all ages.

The Japanese Garden Advisory Council is a group of community members who meet once a month to advocate for the success of programs within the garden while providing a connection between the community, the Associated Recreation Council (ARC) and Seattle Parks and Recreation. The advisory council currently meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 4:30 PM in the Tateuchi Community Room at the Japanese Garden.

The Advisory Council is currently looking for new members interested in a long-term commitment to the community. Advisory council members serve up to a three year term and are eligible to renew the term indefinitely. If you would like to get involved, please contact our staff at (206) 233-7133, or pick up an Advisory Council Volunteer Packet and determine if this is the right opportunity for you.

ACCESSIBILITY

The stone bridges, stepping stones, and rough terrain necessary to preserve the authenticity of the Japanese landscaping render some areas inaccessible to visitors with physical limitations. Pathways in the garden are surfaced with gravel which may result in some inconvenience for wheelchair and walker users. The garden does have some ADA access paths.

LINKS

• The Seattle Japanese Garden
• Seattle Japanese Garden Community Blog
• The Tankokai Tea Association
• Washington Park Arboretum
• Associated Recreation Council
• Seattle Japanese Garden Flickr

*Note: To view a PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader. Download it for free at www.adobe.com.