The city of San José has started to work on restoring the long-dry ponds and taiko bridge of the Japanese Friendship Garden. This comes nearly a decade after floodwaters roiled the garden and three years after 50 koi fish were stolen from the ponds.
The friendship garden, located on Senter Road in San José, was built to symbolize the friendship between San José and its sister city of Okayama, Japan, according to a city of San José webpage.
Bien Doan, the San José District 7 councilmember, said he was surprised to see that the pond had remained empty for years.
“When I came to office, I realized that the pond had been sitting empty without koi since 2017, which is unacceptable for such an iconic garden here in San José,” Doan said. “We got to work right away with Public Works, our Japanese cultural adviser and community partners like the Rotary Club of San José to move the project forward.”
The friendship garden suffered a flood in 2017, which led to years of dry ponds, damaged bridges and the tea house being flooded, according to a 2019 San José Spotlight article.
The garden’s water pump station was damaged and brought water and environmental control to the entire garden, along with the water for the three ponds that housed the koi fish, according to the same article.
Some San José community members and SJSU students were excited to hear that the friendship garden is slowly coming back to life.
Clara Gutierrez, a San José resident, said he is looking forward to the park’s renovations after the setbacks.
“I try to visit the Japanese Friendship Garden once or twice a month, along with History Park, which is right next door,” Gutierrez said. “I’m most excited to see the return of the wildlife to the park, including the 50 koi fish that were stolen in 2023.”
50 koi fish priced from $25 to $25,000 were stolen on April 29, 2023, causing damages of approximately $4,000 worth of fish along with a stolen water pump, according to a 2023 ABC 7 News article.
“I think the koi fish alone will attract more people to the park because of how big the story was three years ago,” Gutierrez said.
The gardens, tea house and ponds are being repaired after the 2017 flooding, however the koi fish were left strewn upon bushes and walking paths because of flooding, according to a San José Okayama Sister Cities webpage.
Doan said the city is also working with Public Works Services and cultural advisers to keep the garden true to the original design.
“We’re also going to replace the Taiko bridge because over the years it got wood rods and damaged by nature,” Doan said.
The Taiko bridge is predicted to begin construction this May, according to an San José Parks and Recreation Instagram post.
Doan said funding for the restoration was already distributed and is not part of a broader parks improvement.
“This project is very specific to the Japanese Friendship Garden,” Doan said. “So that money has already been preset years ago after the flood.”
Because of insurance and bureaucratic situations that were not in control of the park, rebuilding has been slow since the 2017 flood, according to a San José Parks Foundation webpage.
The San José Parks Foundation started a fund to help with the restoration and repair of the garden, with a goal amount for the repairs being $40,000, reaching $30,000 at the time of publication, according to the same source.
The money is planned to be used towards making improvements to the garden and a filter for the water to keep the koi fish alive, according to a 2019 San José Spotlight article.
Hannah Leung, a fourth-year psychology student at SJSU, said the garden’s restoration will be good for the community.
“This space can impact students and the community significantly,” Leung said. “There is also an area inside the garden that could hold community events and I believe its restoration can attract many gatherings to be held there, to enjoy a picturesque scenery all around without much restriction or barriers.”
