The Japanese Garden in Santiago (Jardin Japones) was designed by architect Tadashi Asahi and was built in 1978. Like many such gardens around the world, it was built to celebrate the friendship between two countries — Chile and Japan.
One of the highlights of the garden is its amazing views of the Andes mountains and especially of downtown Santiago. Especially impressive is seeing the Gran Torre Costanera which at 300 meters and 64 stories is the tallest building in South America.
The garden has a waterfall and central lily pond around you’ll find traditional Japanese symbols, including stone lanterns and wooden structures like bridges and a water wheel.
The garden is of modest size but is clean, green, and a pleasant place to walk through. Cherry trees bloom in the spring (October in southern hemisphere), and we didn’t yet see fall colors during our March visit. There are occasional special ceremonies held in the garden .
Getting here:
The park is located in is located in the Parque Metropolitano de Santiago (Metropolitan Park) on Cerro San Cristóbal. The main entrance is near Pedro de Valdivia Norte Avenue, close to the Pedro de Valdivia metro station on Line 1 It’s a moderate 15 minute uphill walk uphill from a parking lot at the base of the hill. There is no admission fee. Restrooms are provided.
