Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Yashiro Japanese Garden, a symbol of Olympia's sister relationship with the city of Kato, will close on June 1.
The city announced the closure as it prepares to move on from its current site on Plum Street SE, which is part of a property sale to the Squaxin Island Tribe.
In April 2024, the city council approved the sale of the 10.47-acre property at 900 Plum St. SE to the Squaxin Island Tribe for $8.2 million. The property, commonly known as the Lee Creighton Justice Center, housed city services, including the Olympia Municipal Court.
The campus also includes the Yashiro Japanese Garden, the Plum Street Tiny Home Village, the Olympia Police Department's evidence storage, and a Saturday waste drop-off site.
According to a city press release issued on April 3, the new garden is expected to be smaller and could take several years to plan and build. The garden’s features, including stone elements and select plantings, will be preserved and incorporated into a future site.
“The new location will continue to honor this Sister City relationship. The city is coordinating with our Sister City and the Olympia area’s Japanese community to understand how this transition creates opportunities for collaboration and deepened cultural connection,” the city said.
The garden was dedicated on May 6, 1990. It was the result of a joint effort between the Olympia-Yashiro Sister City Association and the City of Olympia, with 75 volunteers contributing to its construction over two years.
Designed by Robert Murase, the garden reflects traditional Japanese design principles, emphasizing harmony with nature through careful placement of stone, water and plants.
The press release states the relocation will create an opportunity to reconsider how the garden can integrate with the surrounding community. Plans for the future site will consider environmental conditions, accessibility, and reflect cultural ties to Japan and the local Japanese American community.
The city plans to hire a landscape designer with expertise in Japanese garden design to help lead a public process that will determine the site and overall vision. The planning and development process is expected to take several years.
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SunterraTrail
Please consider finding new homes for the plants.
Monday, April 6 Report this
chrispc2u
Why? Are they going to build yet another casino on that property? And why does the next have be SMALLER. The current one is too small to begin with. And why does this have to take YEARS to implement? If the city council saw this coming why didn’t they plan accordingly? What’s next? Close the kids fountain on 4th so they can stick a totem pole there???
Monday, April 6 Report this
DeaneTR
Yet another example of corrupt city leadership doing behind the scenes dirty deal with no planning and analysis. They're literally selling off the very ground that the city courts, police, public works, waster recycling and social services depend on with nothing to replace it with but BS promises. And its been over a year since they announced this disaster without a plan and they've thus far made zero progress on replacing anything that will be lost from this criminal sale of public resources that won't ever be replaced! City Manager needs to investigated and indicted for the ongoing fraud he's doing against the people of Olympia!
Monday, April 6 Report this
ddttwo2
This is very typical of the City of Olympia deciding what they feel is right and what is wrong. The Japanese garden has been part of our community for many many years and it just destroy it and shrink it and move it is just not right.
Monday, April 6 Report this
longtimeresident
And this is the first time we, the public, have been "notified" about ALL the changes coming to that piece of property?
Why no mention of what is going to happen to the Plum Street Tiny Home Village? That is at least as important as the Japanese Garden. Nothing makes much sense in Olympia anymore. The decision-makers do whatever enters "their mind" and damned be the citizens of the town.
Monday, April 6 Report this
TomBoucher
A 36 year-old garden is just a baby. Sad to see another place meant to lessen human suffering be bulldozed(?).
Source: https://us18.campaign-archive.com/?u=26246ba82da8d2c60694cb8da&id=332debfbfe
Monday, April 6 Report this
RondaLarsonKramer
I had my wedding there and the city municipal judge officiated. He merely had to walk across the parking lot to get there. It was free and it was a beautiful and peaceful space for our special day. I will miss it. Thankfully I have the pictures of this gem that made you forget you’re not in the middle of the city. It was like a secret garden.
Tuesday, April 7 Report this
anothername
That garden is beautiful. What a loss for Olympia. We should have a say in this.
Tuesday, April 7 Report this
Snevets
“The new location will continue to honor this Sister City relationship. The city is coordinating with our Sister City and the Olympia area’s Japanese community to understand how this transition creates opportunities for collaboration and deepened cultural connection,” the city said.
The press release states the relocation will create an opportunity to reconsider how the garden can integrate with the surrounding community. Plans for the future site will consider environmental conditions, accessibility, and reflect cultural ties to Japan and the local Japanese American community.
For those of you clutching your pearls and assuming you know what the Squaxin Tribe will do with the land only shows your ignorance and bias.
Time moves on and so should you.
Tuesday, April 7 Report this
DaveinOlyWA
So I guess I missed your mention of the new site location? Or is this another way of saying there is no new site and there is a strong possibility the Garden is gone for good?
Tuesday, April 7 Report this
Olyrkrgrrl
It will be SMALLER?! It's hard to imagine a smaller space than the one that it already had... If the city of Olympia really understood the nature of the garden, the reason to have such a peaceful location in the city...they would make it bigger.
One wonders why, before even beginning the process, they have already decided the size. Especially since the existing garden is soooo small already. Maybe if you make it small enough, people will decide they don't want it and you can profit from the land instead. :(
Tuesday, April 7 Report this
Larry Dzieza
DeantTR is incorrect in writing that "...they've thus far made zero progress on replacing anything that will be lost from this criminal sale of public resources that won't ever be replaced!".
The city council swiftly purchased a property near the city hall for $2 million to replace the parking lost for their employees.
I doubt that will make DeantTR feel any better about this.
Tuesday, April 7 Report this
PatMer
Did the City really have to sell ALL the 10.47 acres? There will be unknown or undescribed costs and losses from that deal. What's the city going to do about them? Not only the Japanese Garden, but how about the city's area used in part for our yard wastes (and many other city uses on 10th Ave SE), making for many Olympians a drive to the Lacey landfill.
Thursday, April 9 Report this
flowerkwilter
Two decades ago I knew someone who regularly played his shakuhachi flute in the Japanese Garden of Olympia. That was the last time I visited, even though I have since moved to Olympia. It was a magical place. I did not know it was endangered.
So rather than wring my hands, since I have not paid attention, I'd like to consider some possibilities.
First, we must use our parks. If we don't, they will go away. (Yashiro is a case in point.)
Second, parks should be central to our cities. Portland's Chinese Garden is in downtown Portland and opened in 2000. Olympia owns space in town that could be a new park. Percival Landing could be partly re-designed to be a new Japanese Garden. The Port owns property large enough to turn into such a haven. If we can turn Port Property into commercial hotel space, some of it should--MUST--be used for the public good. Parks are mandatory for the commonweal.
Third, it is not unheard of for modern cities to built new Japanese (or Asian) gardens. These (and other Asian gardens) are integral to Seattle and Portland, Tacoma (Chinese Reconciliation Park opened in 2010), Astoria (Garden of Surging Waves opened in 2014), and now Ashland, which opened one in 2022. (https://www.ashlandjapanesegarden.org/history/) Earmarking a space for such a garden and beginning a design must happen quickly, before momentum is lost. This should be planned thoughtfully and carefully.
Can any of the trees in Yashiro be transplanted? Why not plan the move of the tiny house development close enough that they can again be close?
Fourth, why not consider part of the old Priest Point Park, now Squaxin Park (I applaud the change), possibly the Japanese Sister City of Kato has an indigenous community that could work with our Squaxin tribe to make a new park, especially since the tribe is going to develop Yashiro Park into their own property?
None of my ideas are tested, but all of my perambulating is based on a long lifetime loving our city parks, as well as visiting them in Olympia and other American cities as well as foreign countries (in Europe and China). Cities that value humans invest in parks for humans and forests and wildlife. I love Olympia. I will love it more if an opportunity for remaking this park is not lost.
Thursday, April 9 Report this
Svendska
Pocket gardens are a delight in cities. This article indicates that the garden features will be protected and preserved with few changes. Japanese gardens are special treasures. Pocket gardens are nice mental health vacations and they make cities much more civilized. My favorite is one in Seattle. It's built on a narrow city lot with a waterfall and peaceful and cool landscaping. A real treat.
Friday, April 10 Report this