Eighteen acres of traditional Japanese gardens on a hillside above Saratoga Village, Hakone was created in 1915 by San Francisco socialite Isabel Stine and is recognised as the oldest Japanese-style residential garden in the western hemisphere. The grounds are organised into several distinct garden styles — a hill-and-pond strolling garden, a bamboo garden, a tea garden, and a koi pond — connected by gravel paths and wooden bridges. The upper gardens offer views across the Santa Clara Valley. The 1917 Cultural Exchange House (a gift from Saratoga's Japanese sister city Muko) sits at the heart of the estate and can be hired for private events. Entrance is a few dollars; the gardens are closed Mondays.
Address: 21000 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, CA 95070. Tel: (408) 741-4994.