Kubota Garden, Seattle

When it comes to spring blossom viewing in the Seattle area, everybody knows about Washington Park Arboretum and the Quad.

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One sunny afternoon I stumbled upon this little garden, 20 minutes south of downtown

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and witnessed a cherry tree in full bloom…

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It was an amazing spectacle.

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All from just one tree!

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Kubota garden is a 20-acre (81,000 m²) Japanese garden in the Rainier Beach neighborhood of Seattle, built by first-generation Japanese immigrant Fujitaro Kubota.

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During WWII, Kubota Garden was abandoned as Fujitaro and his family were incarcerated at Camp Minidoka in Idaho, while his son Tom served in the US Army’s Military Intelligence Unit.

A history we do not want to repeat!

Kubota Garden
Address: 9817 55th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118
Phone: (206) 725-5060
Webpage: http://www.kubotagarden.org/

Free public tours offered fourth Saturday of each month.

The Minidoka War Relocation Center was in operation from 1942–45 and one of ten camps at which Japanese Americans, both citizens and resident “aliens,” were interned during World War II. Under provisions of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066, all persons of Japanese ancestry were excluded from the West Coast of the United States. At its peak, Minidoka housed 9,397 Japanese Americans, predominantly from Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, Fujitaro’s son Tom, served in the US army’s Military Intelligence Unit. – Wikipedia

29 thoughts on “Kubota Garden, Seattle”

  4. It’s amazing how many wonderful places I have yet to visit here in Seattle, even though I was born here and my grandfather lived in Seward Park until 2009. Maybe I will find time to go this year! Thank you for the pictures. 🙂

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  5. Your cherry blossom photos are exquisite! We’ve been to Kubota Gardens, but never during cherry blossom season. (We’ve been missing out–so lovely!) Thank you for reminding me of this beautiful park…we’ll be traveling with my parents next year, and I know they’d love it here.

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  7. Our cherry blossoms here in Japan are slowly showing. I want to go places this weekend but weather is not looking good. Hopefully, it’s not going to be the same next weekend so I can go do some cherry blossom hunting. 🙂 Aaaah, Japan in US soil, if I could just carry Japan with me to the US. 😀 Thanks for the pics as I wait for cherry blossoms.

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  14. Wow, look at all those cherry blossoms! Lucky you! We’re still waiting on them here in Vancouver…ironically, since the cherry blossom festival was already last week!

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