Hermann Park’s Japanese Garden is one of Houston’s most beloved cultural landscapes. Designed by renowned Japanese landscape architect Ken Nakajima and opened in 1992, the Garden was created to celebrate the friendship between Japan and the United States and to honor Houston’s vibrant Japanese community. Set within Hermann Park’s historic landscape, the Garden offers visitors a place for reflection and discovery through carefully composed views, stone pathways, traditional plantings, and the quiet presence of water.
For more than three decades, the Garden has been stewarded through a partnership between the City of Houston, Hermann Park Conservancy, and the Japanese Garden Advisory Committee, which was formed in 2007. Japanese master gardeners have traveled from Japan to Houston each year to guide the care of the Garden and ensure that its landscape continues to reflect the principles established by Nakajima.
Today, Hermann Park Conservancy is undertaking an ambitious restoration of the Japanese Garden to preserve its legacy and prepare it for future generations. The restoration is being guided by Japanese landscape architect Hiroyuki Tsujii, a protégé of Ken Nakajima based outside Kyoto, working in partnership with the Conservancy’s master plan designers, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. Together, the team is carefully studying the Garden’s original design while addressing aging infrastructure, improving accessibility, and strengthening long term stewardship.
The restoration will thoughtfully renew existing landscapes, restore key features of Nakajima’s design, and introduce new garden spaces that deepen the experience of the Garden while remaining true to its traditions. When complete, the project will ensure that Hermann Park’s Japanese Garden continues to serve as a place of beauty, cultural exchange, and quiet reflection in the heart of Houston.
Join the Yotsuba Circle
Launched in 2023, the Yotsuba Circle is a group of patrons dedicated to Hermann Park’s Japanese Garden. Yotsuba, the Japanese word for “four leaf,” was chosen as the group’s name as each leaf represents an entity integral to the Garden: the community who initiated its creation and continued care, the sister cities of Chiba in Japan and the City of Houston and Hermann Park Conservancy. The annual patronage of Yotsuba Circle members helps to fund the resources needed to ensure proper and traditional care of the Japanese Garden.
Yotsuba Circle Annual Levels and Benefits
$25,000 – Matsu (Pine)
All benefits below, plus:
- Ability to host a private event in the Japanese Garden
- Two complimentary tickets to Evening in the Park, the Conservancy’s signature gala
$10,000 – Fuji (Wisteria)
All benefits below, plus:
- Invitation to a special reception at a private home of a fellow supporter
- Reserved parking at the annual Japan Festival hosted in Hermann Park
$5,000 – Tsutsuji (Azalea)
All benefits below, plus:
- Curated Garden tour, including behind-the-scenes look at upcoming restoration plans with Conservancy leadership and expert designers
- Unique Japanese Garden gift
$2,500 – Take (Bamboo)
- Invitation to a gathering with the Garden team to learn more about the space
- Exclusive opportunities to connect with Japanese cultural partners across Houston
- Invitation-only access to extraordinary patron travel experiences through the Conservancy’s Travel Program
- Annual recognition on-site in the Japanese Garden
$1,000 – Tsubaki (Camellia)
- General Conservancy membership benefits at the Explorer level
- Recognition in the Conservancy’s Parkside newsletter, website, and annual report
- Year-round Yotsuba Circle updates and communications
- Japanese Garden volunteer opportunities
- Access to special Conservancy programming throughout the year
Yotsuba Circle Members
Matsu (Pine)
Karen and Howard Schneider
Fuji (Wisteria)
Donna F. Cole
Joann and Helmuth Goepfert
Japan-America Society of Houston, Inc.
Yasuhiko and Akemi Saitoh
Tsutsuji (Azalea)
Chinhui and Eddie Allen
Joanne and Suzuo Gondo
Japan Business Association of Houston
Take (Bamboo)
Lee and Bob Ardell
Kim and Joe Caruana
CKP
Cece and Mack Fowler
Linda and Barry Hunsaker
Karla A. Sepulveda
As of January 15, 2026
Click here to join the Yotsuba Circle.
Click here to download a form to join the Yotsuba Circle.
Click here to view and print a copy of Yotsuba Circle benefits.
For questions or more information about the Yotsuba Circle, please email Meghan Miller at mmiller@hermannpark.org.