[Photo courtesy Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden]
Eight vendors representing tea traditions from Japan, China, Taiwan, and India will pour inside one of Southern California’s most significant historic landscapes on April 12, when the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden hosts its Seventh Annual Pasadena Festival of Tea.
The garden, at 270 Arlington Drive, is the only intact pre-World War II Japanese residential garden remaining in Southern California. Landscape designer Kinzuchi Fujii created it between 1935 and 1940 for Charles and Ellamae Storrier Stearns. Fujii was sent to an internment camp in 1942 and never returned to see his completed work. The site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005 and restored from 2007 to 2013 under the direction of landscape architect Dr. Takeo Uesugi. Owners Jim and Connie Haddad operate it as a nonprofit.
The festival runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with timed admission at 10:00 a.m., noon, and 2:00 p.m., according to the garden’s announcement. General admission is $20 per person. Children 12 and under are free. Registration is required.
For a limited number of guests, tea practitioner Mikko Nakatomi will conduct traditional Japanese tea ceremony demonstrations in the garden’s Niko-an Teahouse at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m. The demonstrations cost $25 per person. Nakatomi serves guests Japanese tea and sweets while explaining the history and traditions behind the ceremony, according to the garden. The teahouse — named Niko-an, meaning “Abode at Two Ponds” — was originally built in Japan to Fujii’s specifications, disassembled, and shipped to Los Angeles for reassembly. The original structure burned in 1981 and has since been rebuilt. Registration for the tea ceremony demonstrations has sold out in prior years.
The eight vendors span multiple tea-producing regions. Bana Tea will offer premium Chinese Pu-erh. Callisto Teahouse, a Pasadena business at 1359 N. Altadena Drive, will serve Chinese Gongfu tea and present a tasting called “Aging Gracefully — The Beauty of Vintage Pu-erh.” Chafolio will feature tea from China’s Fujian province. Glenburn Fine Tea will bring Darjeeling, Assam, and other Indian teas, along with Indian scarves and tea-inspired textiles. The Good Liver will pour matcha and other Japanese varieties. JT&T will offer Taiwanese oolong. Steep LA will serve teas from China and Taiwan. TTT will host a Matcha Café and offer Japanese tea samples.
Every registered guest receives a custom-made tasting cup at check-in, according to the garden’s announcement. Additional cups for children are available for $2.
Ceramic artists Julie Bagish and Shoshi Watanabe will sell tea-related wares. The garden’s gift shop, Takara-ten, will offer antique and vintage items. Ready-to-drink Japanese iced tea and snacks will be available for purchase.
Kendall Brown, a professor of Asian art history at Cal State Long Beach who nominated the garden for historic status, has described it as “one of the best pre-war examples of a Japanese hill and pond style stroll garden outside of Japan.”
The festival takes place at 270 Arlington Drive. Free parking is available at 355 West State Street at the corner of South Orange Grove Drive and West State Street. The garden is wheelchair accessible. Registration and additional information are available at www.japanesegardenpasadena.com or by calling (626) 399-1721.
Nakatomi’s tea ceremony sessions have drawn full registration in past years, according to the garden.
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