Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden

02/16/2026

We are excited that our Seventh Annual Festival of Tea, scheduled for Sunday April 12, got the attention of NBC LA: https://www.nbclosangeles.com/the-scene/spring-tea-celebration-brewing-lush-pasadena-garden/3848383/
To reserve a spot at this popular event, please visit the garden's website, and note that the garden is currently open Every Sunday, 10am to 4pm (and will open again soon on Fridays and Saturdays in the late afternoons). Hope to see you all for tea on April 12!

Tickets for the flavorful festival, which features tastings and tea-inspired traditions, are now on sale.

12/08/2025

Come and join us for Only the Oaks Remain—A One-day Exhibition on Sunday December 14th 10am-4pm

The Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden was designed by Japanese American landscape architect Kinzuchi Fujii and completed in 1940. During World War II, Fujii was among those deemed by the US government to be “enemy aliens” and ordered to be detained at the Tuna Canyon Detention Station (TCDS), located in Tujunga, only a few miles from the garden. Due to capacity limits at TCDS, Fujii was ultimately held for one day at a Tuna Canyon substation at the Griffith Park Internment Camp.

From 1941 to 1943 the Tuna Canyon Detention Station held over 2000 prisoners—mostly Japanese, but also Germans, Italians, and others. Today, only the old oak trees remain, and few people know of its history. In 2013 the Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition (TCDSC) was founded to illuminate this tragic event so that such injustice is never again experienced by any group.

At 1pm, there will be remarks from:
• Meher McArthur - Storrier Stearns Creative Director
• Dr. Kendall H. Brown - Japanese garden historian
• Kyoko Nancy Oda - TCDSC President
• Dr. Russell Endo - TCDS Historian
• Donna Sugimoto - Tuna Canyon descendant, TCDSC Board Secretary.
The speakers and Q & A will be followed by a shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) performance at 2pm by renowned shakuhachi player Rachel Rudich.
We look forward to seeing you there!

10/01/2025

Come and join us for a special event at the Japanese Garden!!
Back in Los Angeles by popular demand, Japanese classical dancer (buyōka) Ichinosuke Umekawa will give an intimate performance in the teahouse of the beautiful Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden on Sunday October 12, 2025, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. Umekawa has a background in ballet, kabuki, and buyō, or classical dance and is dedicated to sharing buyō around the world. The performance will be followed by a Q&A.
Seats are limited so reservations are required: https://japanesegardenpasadena.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/japanesegardenpasadena/event.jsp?event=4572

04/07/2025

Thank you to all the visitors, vendors, and volunteers who made yesterday's Festival of Tea so special. The weather was glorious, the atmosphere was upbeat, and the tea was delicious! Here are a few pictures of some sweet moments. We hope to see you again next year!

03/26/2025

We're just over a week away from our 6th annual Pasadena Festival of Tea! Come and join us on Sunday April 6, from 10am to 4pm tasting teas from all over Asia and shopping for unique ceramic vessels to serve them in. We have sold out all the tea ceremony demos, but we now have two more awesome local tea vendors - so a great selection of teas for visitors to sample and stock up on for the year. Bana Tea, JT&T, Callisto Teahouse, TTT, Takuma Ienaga, The Good Liver, and Glenburn Fine Teas. Walk-ins are welcome, but we recommend you register in advance. Hope to see you all there! Here's the link:

02/24/2025

The Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden will host the Sixth Annual Pasadena Festival of Tea on Sunday April 6 from 10am to 4pm. Our most popular annual event, the festival is a delight for all the senses and offers healing for the body and soul.

Five local tea vendors - JT & T, Bana Tea, Callisto Teahouse,
TTT (Japanese tea and matcha), and Takuma Ienaga (Japanese Yame tea) - will represent Japanese and Chinese tea traditions, offer samplings of their teas and share expert knowledge and advice. Every registered guest will receive a custom-made tasting cup at check-in. Additional cups for children can be purchased for $2 each.

Ceramic artist Julie Bagish will sell her Japanese-style tea ceremony wares, and as always, the garden’s gift shop, Takara-ten, will offer antique and vintage items that make wonderful gifts, including a special pop-up sale of Japanese treasures. Garden Donors receive 10% off shop purchases. We will be selling cans of Japanese iced tea and Japanese snacks to enjoy in the garden.

ADMISSION
10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m.
$20 per person
Children 12 and under are free

Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony Demonstrations with tea practitioner Mikko Nakatomi will be held for a limited number of guests in the garden's Niko-an Teahouse.

Tea Ceremony Demonstrations in the Niko-an Teahouse
11 a.m., 1:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m.
$25 per person

REGISTER HERE FOR GENERAL ADMISSION AND TEA CEREMONY DEMOS:

https://japanesegardenpasadena.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/japanesegardenpasadena/event.jsp?event=4562&

11/08/2024

Immerse yourself in the beauty of nature and meet members of the Pasadena Society of Artists (PSA) at our Annual Holiday Gift Fair in the Garden!

We will be joined by Cyndi Bemel, Warren Billings, Mariko Bird, Fred Chuang, Darien Donner, Anya Gonzales, Steven B. Graziani, Virginia Causton Keene, George Miller, Hasmik Muradyan, Kruti Shah, and Suzanne Urquiza. The artists will be selling original art works and handmade items, including cards for all occasions, bird houses, ceramics, original art, prints, and much more. A percentage of their proceeds will benefit the garden

Sunday November 17, 10am-4pm
Free with garden admission (No reservation required)
$12 at the gate, Children 12 and under free

10/05/2024

SPECIAL EVENT
Umekawa Ichinosuke at the Garden.
Join us on Friday, October 25th from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM, where Umekawa will give a special, intimate evening performance followed by a Q&A.
Limited seating is available, so please reserve now to guarantee admission.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/japanese-dance-at-the-garden-tickets-1020189984707?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=eventbrite&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=post_publish&utm_content=shortLinkNewEmail

09/21/2024

INTIMATE DANCE PERFORMANCE
Umekawa Ichinosuke, a Japanese classical dancer with a unique background in ballet and kabuki, will perform in the beautiful setting of the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden.

His performance will take place Friday evening, October 25, 2024, from 6:00 to 7:30PM.

Tickets will go on sale on September 22 and can be purchased via the EVENTS AT A GLANCE banner on the garden's HOME page japanesegardenpasadena.com

05/05/2024

On Sunday May 5, the Garden will host the 5th Annual Pasadena Festival of Tea, one of our most popular events of the year. Six local tea vendors - JT& Tea, Hankook Tea, Glenburn Tea, Bana Tea, Ienaga & Co., Sencha and Wholesome Essence Organic Teas & Shoshi Watanabe Ceramics - will represent Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and Korean tea traditions. Visitors will be given a special porcelain tea tasting cups to use to sample their wonderful teas. Ceramicist Julie Bagish will join us to sell her beautiful tea-related ceramics, and we will have a pop-up shop selling kimonos and vintage Japanese art works. Our tea ceremony demos have already sold out, but it's not too late to register at the link below for the event itself - or you can just walk in. We are looking forward to seeing you!

The garden’s most popular event of the year is here. Participating tea purveyors will be with their teas and tea accessories for sale.

11/14/2023

"The vibrant hues of creativity are set to bloom again at the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden when it hosts the much-anticipated 5th Annual Art Fair In The Garden, in collaboration with the esteemed Pasadena Society of Artists (PSA), on Sunday, Nov. 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m."
Thank you, Pasadena Now!

The vibrant hues of creativity are set to bloom again at the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden when it hosts the much-anticipated 5th Annual Art Fair In The Garden, in collaboration with the esteemed Pasadena Society of Artists (PSA), on Sunday, Nov. 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Renowned for transformi...