Seattle’s Forgotten Garden

Kubota Garden is a free 20-acre Japanese-style garden dating to 1927, with flowers, ponds, waterfalls & a moon bridge. This is a great way to spend time in Seattle and see some unforgettable scenery. The easiest way to access the garden is by car. The Kubota Garden is currently open from 6am to 9:30pm. However, it is always good to check the website as this is subject to change. Also, they ask at this time to wear face masks and keep 6 feet apart from other individuals. The best time to visit the garden is during the weekdays as the weekends become very busy. I think the best time of the year is in the Spring. However, it is beautiful anytime of the year. Below are photos taken in August.

To understand how this park came to be, in 1927, Fujitaro Kubota bought five acres in the Rainier Beach neighborhood of Seattle and began his garden. He emigrant from the Japanese Island of Shikoku in 1907 and established the Kubota Gardening Company in 1923. Fujitaro was a self-taught gardener, who wanted to display the beauty of the Northwest in a Japanese manner and he was soon designing and installing gardens throughout the Seattle area.

As Fujitaro’s landscaping business prospered, his Rainier Beach garden grew to include twenty acres. This was the family home, the business office, the design and display center. It was also a nursery to grow plant materials for the gardens installed by the Kubota Gardening company. In 1972, the Japanese Government awarded Fujitaro Kubota with a rare honor, the Fifth Class Order of the Sacred Treasure, “for his achievements in his adopted country, for introducing and building respect for Japanese Gardening in this area.” In 1973, Fujitaro died at the age of 94. He always hoped that the garden would one day be open to the public. This happened in 1981, when 4.5-acre core area of the garden was listed as a Historical Landmark of the city of Seattle. In 1987, the City of Seattle acquired the garden from the Kubota family and purchased approximately twenty-eight acres of land adjacent to and around the garden to remain as a natural area.