Yume Japanese Gardens of Tucson

To set expectation, Yume Japanese Gardens are on a small parcel of land and are designed to be like those you might find in a Kyoto courtyard. Bring a book, meditate, take your time. The spaces have benches and invite you to find a peaceful moment in the desert. We did. The gallery has a video (English subtitles) that has great information about creating these types of gardens, and the gift shop offers a variety of Japanese items to purchase.

Yume Gardens is a peaceful beautiful place to visit. It's a great little Japanese garden just steps away from the Tucson Botanical Gardens. There isn't a lot to "do" there but the festivals are fun and it's just a nice peaceful garden to visit.

Visited this place over winter break, and I was shocked to see all the lower views. If you've been to Japan, then you might understand the place a little more. Basically, it's made up of a lot of small micro exhibits similar to like you might see in Japan in a place like where spaces are limited. The whole place is probably 3/4 of an acre but they did a wonderful job maximizing the usage of the space. You really need to take your time and sit down and just enjoy if you power through you're gonna finish it in 10 minutes and you'll miss the whole point of your visit.I think the story is really cool about the lady who created the location to show Japanese culture based on her personal experiences of living in Japan. This is something she pulled together on her own and open to the public and not for profit fashion. It might be a little pricey to enter (15 USD), but you also have to understand your money serves as a donation to keep the place running. It's clear that she's doing this on her own. And I think it's wonderful that she's so inspired to be a bridge between cultures that often are overlooked in Tucson.

Having spent a few years living in Japan, I was expecting just what I saw. Simplicity, attention to detail and educational information. I do love the Japanese culture. There are different gardens and areas to explore. Various plants and bushes/trees around the garden....I used a plant identifier app to help me know what I was looking at. The gift shop is amazing and cheesy at the same time. I would go visit again, and bring a book. There are plenty of quiet shady places to just sit and enjoy the silence.

Very cool place, we went for their ikebana festival, and it was nice learning about the three schools of ikebana and seeing the examples placed throughout the grounds. The koi pond and the traditional house were my favorites, first time for me to actually see tatami mats used traditionally, and I love that once I removed my shoes I could step up into the house and sit on them and look out at the zen rock area. I recommend for those with an interest in Japanese culture, with the caveats that other's have brought up: expect street noise, and understand that it isn't as vast a place as the nearby Tucson Botanical Gardens.

It is a small garden but that's very clearly specified when you go inside. The owner is very nice and sweet. The gardens are beautiful and are a lovely place to just sit and relax. The gift shop has lots of unique items and I will be back sometime!

Great concept: portrayal of 17th or 18th century Japanese backyard gardens of the average person. Gift shop has some wonderful pottery for sale and some cheesy stuff. $9 per person for this. I think we were there 20 minutes and that includes sitting down and looking at the koi pond. Besides the brief verbal explanation there was no other information available. The person up front told me that the brochure was printed 5 years ago and not current. She did explain that the heat has taken its toll on many plants. The gardens were well kept and presents a lot of potential for a soothing visit.

Overpriced for what was offered. I can respect the thought of it, but for $15 that was not worth it. I get that this is a small space but it just felt unfinished. Staff was friendly, but will not be returning due to high cost and value.

I think I need a new phone call today tomorrows you can see how much it is a long story if not you need to check it out for sure thanks

The garden was incredibly small and underwhelming for the price. The younger front desk lady was kind but the older lady was a bit rude and unfriendly. There are a lot of rules associated with this place that make it an unnecessarily strict environment. There really isn't much to look at or do, for $10 you could probably walk around in 10 minutes and be done. There also was an underwhelming amount of plants--this place called itself a Japanese Garden and it was VERY disappointing with the lack of scenery. The only interesting area was the koi pond. Go to the botanical gardens next door, it's around the same price and MUCH BETTER.