San Francisco Japanese Gardens For Sale

[Mulboyne]

SFGate: Serenity, Japanese-Style, in the East Bay
Lord knows we could all use some Zen time these days. Some quiet, contemplative moments immersed in nature attempting to put aside our personal anxieties and nationwide turmoils for a while. A peaceful Japanese garden might be just the ticket and, coincidentally, there are two on offer right now -- with homes attached -- in the East Bay.



You'd have more than five acres of wooded, Japanese-inspired gardens at 5670 Castle Dr. in the Oakland hills. The estate borders Joaquin Miller Park and includes a 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom mid-century modern home, a 2-bedroom guest house, a swimming pool with pool house and sauna cabin, and an underground bunker (with a phenomenal stone door) that is used as a wine cellar. There are Bay views too. The whole package was listed in June last year, priced $2,750,000.



Over in Piedmont, 412 Blair Ave. is described as a veritable "Shangri La" with bonsai gardens tended by bonsai guru Mas Imazumi, several giant redwoods and an authentic Japanese tea house. The 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom contemporary home on the site includes a library and a secluded master suite with French doors into the garden. In total, the property is on 0.26 acres. Listed just 11 days ago, the price is $1,695,000.

[Sentakki Fried Chicken]

Lovely places...wish I had the money to buy either!

[Mulboyne]

SFGate: Japanese Tea Garden pitch hangs on $500,000 grant

It's been years - seriously, years - since the Recreation and Park Department began its search for a new vendor to run the Japanese Tea Garden, one that would bring more authenticity to the cultural gem. Now, the city just needs the Board of Supervisors to sign off on the proposal. But there could be some tough questions Wednesday when a supes committee hears the pitch. The deal has long been mired in controversy - with current operator Fred Lo accusing the city of racism in years past - and the first round of bids was rejected in 2006 by the parks department commission.

Now, one of those bidders is poised to get the contract. But the board's budget analyst, Harvey Rose, points out in a report that the selected vendor, Murata's Cafe Hana (owned by a Japantown leader, Carol Murata), is offering less rent and therefore less annual pay to the city than two of the other bidders. So why choose Murata? As Rose points out in the report, Murata's proposal is sweetened by a somewhat unusual guarantee of a $500,000 grant from a Japantown nonprofit to be used for improvements to the attraction. The money is offered as a condition of Murata's selection as the vendor. The board's budget committee has been searching for ways to help Rec and Park shore up extra cash, so we're interested to see how this one goes down.