This is a nice place to visit with young kids during COVID. Not a lot of people in the garden in the morning. We spent 1.5 hours with two kids in the garden and the kids didn’t get bored. There are places to sit and rest and have a mini picnic. It’s also good for picture taking to get some fall color. Plus no admission fee. Highly recommend!

Relaxing and pretty place for families of all sorts to come and enjoy. This park is from San Joses sister city, Okayama-Shi, located in Japan, and everything in here preserves the Japanese serenity and traditional beauty.Whats not beautiful are some Instagram girls and wannabes who come here and hog the small walkways so they can take 470 pictures of themselves under the changing leaves.Insider tip, parking and entrance are free during Covid, so there are plenty of people visiting this place. The best autumn leaves Kodak moments were between Nov 19-26. Dont forget to walk around the surrounding park and Happy Hallow if you have the time.

I dont know why most of the ponds were dry except for the one upper pond where the koi were. Maybe because it is winter time, or they are under construction? But if all the many ponds and channels were filled with water, this place would be really beautiful.

Its a nice garden. Plenty of shade to relax in. I like to see some of the trees which have been uniquely shaped to give that Japanese look. The ponds are all dried up around this time though.

Nice little walking trail. Easy to maintain social distancing. Small pond all the way back with ducks & turtles. They are doing repairs & construction around the park though

It is a nice place to walk around. Theres benches where you can sit and read a book. Just a relaxing place and good for photo ops.

Even though there are no fishes here, it still looks beautiful. I enjoy just sitting here and enjoy the serenity.

I love this part of Kelly Park. The geese, the pond and trees create a beautiful effect. I hope to see you there. Cheers.

This garden is in disrepair right now. All of the ponds are drained except for one and that one was very dirty. There are some pretty trees and foliage. Can be fun to stroll around in but I wouldnt go out of my way to visit.

Peaceful and quiet, beautiful here. The garden was well kept. The most of ponds were not filled, except one. We saw the huge coi fish and a black heron.

Fantastic oasis and one of the best places Ive been to within San Jose. Highly recommended for families with kids.

Nice place with family. Quite different with other places. This Garden made you feel calm, relax, and more enjoyable. Good location next to Happy hollow and Kelly park. But no more water in the pool, or it will be more beautiful.

Amazing place. Its quite big too compared to the other Japanese garden in the Bay area. They have a big koi pond with lots of fish and a lot of other trees and flowering plants. This is a must visit place If you are looking for a relaxing place around the Bay area. They also have a big picnic area for get together. Only concern is the parking which is $6 on regular days and $10 on holidays

The Japanese Friendship Gardenwith its diverse landscapes, talltrees and comforting grass areasinvites young and old families torelax and explore. Some families set up easy tents just for the day.Restrooms and tables are open,BBQs are not.You will see; birds, turtles, coy, andand so much more. Amazingjapanese landscapes in San Jose?Yes it is vivid and true. Visit onceand you will never forget what hasbeen experienced. Awesome, cleanand very friendly. There is apeaceful resident crane that moveselegantly and will fill you withwonder. Leave a dollar or more indonation fountain.

My nieces loved it. Nice peaceful walk during our day.

Cool place to come and chill... get your mind right

Very peaceful garden. Hope the water ponds will come soon again

Its a beautiful place but is a shame they dont remodel it. There are lots of things that need fixing. The pond is dry so, apparently locals want the pond to be restored and the koy fish back in it. You pay for parking. Dont know how much, my friend pay for it.

Took my granddaughters there it was their first visit to the Japanese Friendship Garden. They enjoyed walking around. At this time only one pond is filled with water, the larger ponds are dry. We saw a colorful turtle and even though the water was cloudy we could see the koi fish. I was a little disappointed, but the girls enjoyed themselves.

Nice place to walk around and take some pictures.

L Ive this great distraction and perfect place to mediate in a busy day in the covid new way of life.

Great place for a walk. Went during covid so the lake is dry. There is still khoi fishes somewhere around there.

I was supposed to meet a girl at the friendship park but got acquaintance-zoned.Lovely place though.

Beautiful formal gardens with lots of walking paths. Probably would have given 5 stars, except their ponds were shut down for renovation. You could tell that the garden would be spectacular with the ponds reflecting the lovely foliage. Nearby parking is $6.

Beautiful landscaping, but the tea house is under construction and the koi have been isolated to a small pond at the back while the main ponds are all drained and awaiting restoration. Still, there were plenty of people walking the grounds, having picnics, and feeding the fish (bring food!). Hoping that 2020 brings the garden back to life - it would be great to it in all its glory!

I wish it had been better kept up. There is one koi pond remaining, which is worth it, but the rest of the ponds are empty. Still there is beautiful trees and flowers.

I went here with lot of expectation of seeing koi fishes and the beautiful Japanese ponds. I was disappointed to not find any water but I gave 3 stars for maintenance of gardens and the greenery. I did a mistake by paying for electric scooter which was parked outside garden but only to find that it doesnt work and the money is just lost. Entrance to this is free but car parking needs payment for which there are machines. We need to put the paid slip on car dashboard else car will get towed. Not many people were there when I visited

Its a beautiful lush green garden with a pond and an ample place for children to roam around. If its a sunny day, it even gets better. The garden is very well maintained, the greenery is breathtaking.

Place is beautiful. Love the variety of trees. Some pretty tall trees. The water was not flowing through out and they were some of the water ways without water. Cant enjoy with children all they want to do is complain. Would of given it 5 stars if the whole area was functional.

This was a great place to stop, very beautiful. Would have been nice if there was water in all of the ponds...or if the water was clearer.

Just beatiful im glad we went the flowers trees and ponds are just beautiful. Its free to visit and worth it. If you never been its a must to go see at least once.

I visited this place after seeing some photos in Google maps. But it was not updated about the repair of large ponds. they were under repair and water was removed. the fish were removed to upper ponds. Anyhow a beautiful and attractive place with Japanese landscape. Many Japanese have come with their kids.The caretakers of the garden were very friendly and explained about the fish. Some ducks and goose were hanging around without fear. I managed to feed some of them by my hand.

This place is a great placed to escape the daily grind. Quite peaceful and just relaxing. A must check out if you never been.

There bridge was closed because of restoration after the flood, and one of the ponds was mostly drained. Regardless, it was a very beautiful place. It cost $6 to park all-day ($10 for holidays), but well worth it!

Very calming! Pretty and fun for everyone! Parking costs a bit not sure about $10

There arent many flowers but there are many trees and other plants. Its still beautiful but would look better with more flowers. The paths are nice, but some of the ponds had no water in them at the time. It could look so much better with some more maintenance.

Upon arrival at the Japanese Friendship Garden I quickly realized that there is little to be friends with aside from the concrete. All the pools are drained and devoid of koi. One can only pray that they are still alive... Somewhere. In solidarity I lay my body prone on the gravel floor of the ponds where they once swam so freely. Good plants and vegetation though, I got a few good tree hugs in. Its also fun to gallop on all fours down the dry ravines where the fish and water lilies once fliurished.

Was once a beautiful Oasis in a concrete city but now its luscious koi-filled ponds are dry and people are rudely walking in them despite the clear signs not to. Didnt know when or why it happened or even for how much longer as I searched the grounds for any informational signs, but there were none to be found. Only a small dirty yet-covered pond on the north end contains these beautiful koi. The grounds were still very green and manicured. Avoid until the ponds are back.

In restoration right now, Im sure its gorgeous when everything is where its supposed to be. Right now only one of the koi ponds is open.

It was cool just missing a couple pounds at the moment

Very pretty place, still recovering from flood damage, but continues to be open to the public. When I was here there were a lot of prom pictures being taken, it was cute to see the dresses and the dates all cute and stuff. Everyone was friendly, and took turns getting the great shots, even those of us who werent there for prom photos.

Awesome view , good park

Right in the middle of San Jose, at Kelly Park is another world, The Japanese Friendship Garden.This is a place of peace & beauty. Here you can commune with nature.I bring all of my grandchildren here. Once through is not enough. We bring a lunch, feed the Koy then navigate all the many paths, climb all the rocks, sit on all the benches & cross all the bridges a second time before we can leave.

Koi ponds under repair and still a beautiful place to take a leisurely stroll.

Cute place to walk and take in some nature away from the concrete jungles and traffic. The flood a few years back caused some of the waterfalls and koi ponds to be outta service but hopefully they will restore them soon!

Quiet. Lovely. Great place for a walking meditation. Stroll along the ponds or over the bridge to a beautiful little island with a bench that’s waiting just for you. Feed the koi or the geese. Hug the giant trees! Plenty of parking and adjacent to the historic center. Plenty of space outside of the garden for a picnic or a game of frisbee.

One of the loveliest parks i ever been to.If i lived near here id probably become a resident of the park. i would never leave. beautiful place to take pictures at.IF i wanted to get married, I would diffidently look into this place

This garden deserves a 5-star review for their amazing work keeping it clean and beautiful. Thanks to the staffs for cleaning the koi pond, trimming the grass, and trimming the trees. Well done in earning karma points!

No water in the ponds, very few koi fish. They are not keeping up with maintenance.... little disappointing

It was a small garden. Ponds are dried up. Under Construction.

The places closes down very early, even in summer. The bridge was cute, but no water and nothing Japanese garden about it... Have seen better places... But managed to get a few good maternity shoot pictures

Varry clean so nice and relaxing

Im glad I didnt have to pay to park. Theres construction everywhere and no fish or ponds.According to a gentleman that I spoke to over 3 years ago the ponds flooded and they have yet to replace the fish or fill the ponds. Such a waste because I could see how pretty this park could have been.

Beautiful scenery, perfect for pictures. Beautiful Japanese Garden to walk in with family.

Beautifully designed peaceful garden. The koi fish are in abundance and intricate colors! Highly recommended!

Sad there is only 1 pond with Koi Fish but still beautiful. Took my engagement photos here and there was a great variety of backgrounds!

Its beautiful and a great place to walk!

Great place for a walk. Place is a bit run down. Needs TLC. The koi pond was beautiful!!

Beautiful place, but now there is no woter in a pond and reconstruction in some places in the park. Anyway its nice place.

I absolutely love it and its very peaceful to go and relax and pray and just be one with nature and Gods creation

I love this part and also had a lot of my memories. M Lee. F wanter , This place is gorgeous

Really disappointed from this place. I expected more. There is no fish everything is really not very well maintained and dirty. Not worth the visit at all.

Has some serious potential.. needs work and it would be so. beautiful...hope to come back in the summer

Its a nice little park to stroll for an escape from all the traffic in San Jose. There is a $6 parking fee thats very inexpensive for the nice scenery. However, today the pond is emptied, however, if you continue further into the park, youll find a pond on the highest point where all the kois are at. Looks like the pond being emptied is a temporary thing.

Nice but when we went 75% were under heavy construction. Parking is not free and some homeless wander around. It is small. You can do the whole park in 30 minutes if you walk at a normal pace.Edit: I went back in August 2018 ( more than 10 months later ). No water, barely anything to see, nothing advertise the bad conditions. I even saw a broom with her wedding dress in the parking lots who was about to get desappointed. It is not worth it at all. Always under maintenance. Also, a lot of animal feeces in the sidewalk.

It was unexpected cool, the park is small but very beautiful.

Really relaxing place to visit. Really wish the water was back on but we live in California.

Nice place for a walk. Lot of koi fish and ducks

Nice spot for walking or a picnic. The red bridge is great for photos.

No ponds of water or fish ... Was very disappointed ..i was looking forward to seeing it

Only one pond had water in it, and it had all the koi in it, and the water was NASTY. There were construction cones everywhere and there was a bunch of dilapidated features.

The koi ponds are dried up. Theres just one pond now. There was a flood which destroyed the pump system and needs $2 million to repair. Very sad. Beautiful park otherwise

No water in the ponds except for koi pond. Sad looking garden. Well designed and was beautiful some time ago

Beautiful garden. To bad most of the ponds were empty when I was there.

Beginning of the CV-19 shut-in. I had this beautiful park all to myself!

It’s pretty cool but a few issues:1.) The pond is in horrific condition as far as algae goes.2.) This is the big one, YOU CAN’T BRING YOUR BIKE IN. I was yelled at for WALKING my bike through here. They don’t have any bike racks for you to chain it up outside either. I get that the paths are small but this makes it not friendly at all to locals.3.) Parking is $10 (if you drive) yet given the condition of the pond and lack of bike racks, where is money going???

So lush and peaceful with so many paths to take and the happiest Koi fish Ive ever had the pleasure of feeding.

Serene and beautiful. Parking is between 6 and 10 bucks depending on regular day or if they have any event. The park entrance is free.

Would have been 5 stars if the ponds were all full, its still awesome, especially in the rain

Was under construction but still nice

This is a perfect place to take pictures!

Notably, parking is $10. It is nice, and if you stay the entire day and go to the nearby petting zoo, it might be worth it, but kind of a bummer if you were just looking for a casual place to relax one day. Very pretty though. And if you still play Pokemon Go, there are a lot of stops to spin.

Good public garden... too bad the koi ponds are no longer functioning

Relaxing place love it.

Really nice park! Nice to walk around there

Peaceful and Tranquil garden to take a stroll in the morning or evening

Well kept despite the drought. Came on Saturday, thinking it was going to be packed, but there was hardly a sizable crowd.Even though it was clearly posted and frown upon, some people strolled through the green areas and were also smoking.

Beautiful. Its worth visiting. I took out a star because the waterfall didnt have water. Its nice and peaceful.

Its beautiful if the ponds were full thats the only reason I give it a 3... the ponds were completely empty throughout the entire garden which is basically the whole point of going. There was one small pond open that had a bunch of coy fish.

Beautiful landscaping! It is well kept and a great place to walk around.

The pump is broken so all the water has been drained. There are, obviously, no koi or turtles.

Such a peaceful place

The ponds are undergoing reconstruction (i visited late Sept 19). They have relocated the Koi to one pond. Although it would be more interesting if all the ponds had water in them its still a nice place to walk. Some of the paths are steep. There is a restroom located just outside one of the entry ways.

The garden was under construction.

A very nice Japanese Garden in San Jose. While not as big as Golden Gate Park it does contain a lot of the elements of a classical Japanese garden. Have visited several times and will return in future. It is a recommended stop while in San Jose. Please note that there is parking outside but it is is paid parking.

Absolutely beautiful area to walk around. It is exactly what I would picture a Japanese garden to look like in my head. There are many paths to walk along with a ton of trees and ponds and rocks. Highly recommend checking it out.

Whole pond is dry!! Im sure in its prime its beautiful but not right now unfortunately

Very beautiful and quiet place. The entry is free. We just had to pay for the parking.

Lovely place but wish the pond was filled. I wanted to go see the koi fishes but it wasnt there.

Koy are in the upper pool :-( all else awesome!