San Antonio Japanese Tea Garden

The Japanese Tea Garden

The newest interactive augmented reality experience is here

Often referred to as San Antonio’s best kept secret, the attributes of the garden are now being highlighted in a new high-tech augmented reality app available for free in the Apple and Google Play Stores. The Japanese Tea Garden AR App was developed by GeoMedia, Inc. in partnership with the San Antonio Parks Foundation, the nonprofit responsible for preserving and operating the historic garden. Launched in October 2021, the AR app, “is lovingly referred to as our COVID project, something our team worked on for 18 months, and it is one of the first in the nation to have an interactive augmented reality component,” The San Antonio Parks Foundation’s Libby Day said. The Japanese Tea Garden’s incredible 11 acres are filled with arcing stone bridges, Japanese koi ponds and even a waterfall. “There is a koi fish augmented reality component where you can actually color your own koi fish in. And then when

Located in the heart of San Antonio just north you swipe up, it releases it into of Mulberry off Highway 281, the San Antonio the pond,” Day said. Designed Japanese Tea Garden has marveled locals and for users of all ages, there are visitors alike since the early 20th century. six different augmented reality focus points located around the garden: the Torii Gate, Pavilion, Lower Garden, Dragon Bridge, Observation Tower, and of course the Jingu House. The historic Jingu House sits atop the upper garden near the pavilion and observation tower. The name pays homage to Kimi Eizo Jingu and his family who resided on the garden grounds and operated a restaurant known as the Bamboo Room from 1926 to 1942. “The daughter of one of the family members who lived at the garden and helped operate the restaurant there in the 1920s and ‘30s was able to be a part of the app development process and help go over the history and make sure the history was represented accurately and with integrity,” she said. Today, the Jingu House is closed for renovations and will reopen in the spring of 2022 with a new restaurant and café for guests to enjoy during their visits to the garden. Open 365 days a year, the Japanese Tea Garden is free to experience, just like the app. Take in the tranquil view from the open-air pavilion at the top and then follow the nearby winding path down a set of stone stairs, up and along arched bridges, and around the base of a sixty-foot waterfall. Sun streams in overhead, warming this sunken oasis in the cooler months. This park comes with a Texas twist: in lieu of classic Japanese maple or cherry trees, native and adaptive species abound, including leafy green Mexican sycamore trees and flower-studded desert willows.

The Japanese Tea Garden is open to the public daily from dawn to dusk and is wheelchair accessible.

By Drew Henry

While San Antonio is known for cowboys, Tex-Mex and the best margaritas this side of the Rio Grande, there are many more cultures to explore in our diverse city. So, get ready to jump into San Antonio’s cultural cornucopia. We will start this month’s festivities by ringing in the Chinese New Year. Next, we will catch a Mardi Gras parade on the River Walk instead of the bayou. Then we will uncover Mayan history and musical folklore. Finally, we will explore a park that speaks to San Antonio’s rich past and bright future. We have many cultures to jump into, so get started!

Celebrate Chinese New Year in the Alamo City!

TOUR THE SAN ANTONIO MUSEUM OF ART’S ASIAN GALLERY

February marks the start of the Chinese New Year. To celebrate, we will first dive into the history of China. Get ready to embark on an Asian expedition to explore relics from the Great Wall of China without even crossing the Texas border. The first stop on our tour is the San Antonio Museum of Art. SAMA is located on the river between downtown and Pearl in the former Lone Star Brewery. This museum spans over 5,000 years of global culture and has one of the most impressive Asian art collections in the United States, including more than 1,500 works from China and other Asian countries. What started as a Chinese ceramics collection by museum donors Lenora and Walter F. Brown has grown into over 15,000 square feet of galleries filled with history.

GET DINNER AT BEST QUALITY DAUGHTER

After exploring Chinese history, why not indulge in some delicious Chinese cuisine? Located a few steps north of SAMA, you will find the Best Quality Daughter restaurant inside the historic Mueller House at Pearl. The Best Quality Daughter concept began as a series of pop-up dinners in 2018 by Chef Jennifer Dobbertin. She wanted to address the sparsity of Asian-American female chefs in South Texas. By 2020, she opened her lively and fun restaurant concept with Chef Quealy Watson, serving dishes inspired by her travels and the comfort food of her youth. Explore a family-style menu featuring savory favorites like Impossible Potstickers, Salt-n-Pepper Shrimp, Char Siu Roast Pork Shoulder and Miso Ginger Noodles.

CATCH SHEN YUN AT THE TOBIN CENTER

Shen Yun translates to “the beauty of divine beings dancing,” and the name says it all! This dance company was established in New York in 2006 and has been wowing audiences worldwide ever since. Through music, dance and stunning costumes, Shen Yun takes us on a journey through over 5,000 years of Chinese arts and culture. You will be on the edge of your seat as the show explores heavenly realms, ancient legends and modern heroic tales alongside vibrant dancers, a driving orchestra and incredible animated backdrops that become part of the action. Shen

Best Quality Daughter

click on this:

SAN ANTONIO MUSEUM OF ART

www.SAMuseum.org

BEST QUALITY DAUGHTER

www.BestQualityDaughter.com

THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER WALK

www.TheSanAntonioRiverWalk.com

TOBIN CENTER

www.TobinCenter.org

CONFLUENCE PARK

www.SARiverFound.org/ confluence-park

San Antonio Museum of Art

Yun will be performing at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 19 at 2:00 and 7:00pm and Feb. 20 at 1:00pm.

SECOND LINE DURING MARDI GRAS ON THE RIVER WALK

If you want to jump in a second line and do the Mardi Gras Mambo, there is no need to travel down to the bayou. The Big Easy is coming to Alamo City and bringing the Mardi Gras fun to the San Antonio River Walk! Indulge in New Orleanian culture from Feb. 25-27 and celebrate a Texas-style Mardi Gras. There will be festivities all along the River Walk, including an entire Mardi Gras River Parade on Feb. 26, starting at 4:00pm. If you are looking to get a taste of Louisiana cuisine, stop by Boudro’s Texas Bistro. This unique restaurant blends Texas flavors with creole finesse. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

EXPLORE THE NATURE, POWER, AND MAYA ROYALS EXHIBITION AT SAMA

If you enjoyed SAMA’s Asian art gallery, then you want to make sure you catch the Nature, Power, and Maya Royals exhibit on display through Feb. 27. This collaboration between the San Antonio Museum of Art, the Belize Institute of Archeology and the University of Texas at San Antonio includes recent discoveries from Buenavista del Cayo. By the Early Classic period, the Maya had developed a strong social hierarchy ruled by kings

San Antonio Museum of Art

Tobin Center

and queens. The royal class needed to continually negotiate and reaffirm their position in society, and art was one important medium for doing so. This exhibition highlights how two Maya rulers commissioned artwork that featured commanding iconography to express their power. Uncover neverbefore-seen relics rediscovered from royal tomb excavations dating back to 250 A.D. Now, that is some ancient culture!

BE OUR GUEST AT DISNEY PRINCESS - THE CONCERT AT THE TOBIN CENTER

Experience your favorite Disney princess songs and folklore from around the world performed live by Broadway stars in the cultural showpiece Disney Princess - The Concert at the Tobin Center. For generations, Disney’s princesses have enchanted us with their stories, and now you can experience your favorite songs like never before. Tony Award-nominee Susan Egan, Broadway favorite Arielle Jacobs, Disney Channel star Anneliese van der Pol, and BroadwayWorld Award-winner Syndee Winters join forces in this concert of a lifetime. Catch the performance on Feb. 8 at 7:00pm, and make sure to dress up in your royal attire for a magical evening.

FIND WHERE SAN ANTONIO’S DIVERSE CULTURES AND RIVERS MEET AT CONFLUENCE PARK

San Antonio’s rich history flows through the San Pedro Creek and San Antonio River, which meet at Confluence Park. This park was designed to provide opportunities to honor the past while celebrating the future. Located half a mile from Mission Concepcion, Confluence Park offers easy access to trails connecting the San Antonio Missions UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These trails are great for hiking and provide thoughtprovoking pathways to the past. The modern pavilion grounding the park serves as a gathering space for all of the city’s diverse residents. The design includes a water catchment system, which uses the pavilions’ geometric framework to collect rainwater to water the park’s foliage. In addition to being beautiful, the modern structure offers sustainable innovations that serve as an example for the city’s future development. Connect with nature and culture as you hike, bike or even paddle the trails, and connect with people as you gather with family and friends.

WRITER’S BIO

Drew Henry is a writer, content creator and founder of the Design Dude’s Life blog. When he is not writing, he is out exploring all Texas has to offer. View his work at DrewHenryWrites.com and get some home design tips at DesignDudesLife.com. Follow on Instagram: @designdudeslife & @ drewhenrywrites .