A totally cute spot, with multiple Japanese garden set-ups, hidden away to the back of the entrance, tucked away from the busy street. This location offers a chance to experience many different garden layouts. I would encourage taking the time to sit in, and take in, each of these as you wonder through the site. There is also a cute tiny museum section at the entrance building, as well as a small shop with all things Japanese -- from modern pop-culture to more traditional objects. Definitely a place where you want to have some time to enjoy it. I would suggest avoiding the hottest time of the day if you want to make most of visiting the outdoor gardens.

This is one of the cutest places by The University of Arizona! The small garden is incredibly pleasant to walk through as you can see all sorts of displays. During our visit, we were able to see the fresh flower exhibit which was truly a showcase of how dedicated the staff is here. I recommend coming During their special events or tea ceremony to really get an experience of Japanese culture!

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND everyone check this place out. It's beautiful, gorgeous and takes you away from the hustle and bustle of the world for awhile. They have a museum of Kimonos, history and the garden is to die for. They do host weddings and events as well as provide information about other Japanese gardens in Arizona. The Lady if very well educated on Japanese gardens and they have a small gift shop as well. Cats roam around outside and they look so happy and at peace. You really forget you are in Tucson when you are there. It's seasonal so make sure to check when they are open.

Very nicely done and quiet. Look it up before you go as its quite small (very) but it's very nicely done. Its the kind of place that's nice to sit quietly for awhile even though the sound of cars will replace running water. The fish are super friendly and I appreciate all the little details. I look forward to visiting in other seasons as well

Very interesting gardens, plenty of seating for reflection & discussion. Enjoyed the early photos, museum, & kimonos.

A beautiful site for my family when we were feeling nostalgic for Japan. Be aware that it’s not a strolling garden, it’s designed for sitting at various points to view scenes of Japanese beauty. If you rush though the garden you’ll be done in five minutes. If you take your time, and enjoy sitting and taking in the sights, you’ll be here up to an hour. Definitely a great change from the Tucson scenery.

This place is a little piece of heaven hidden in the middle of Tucson. Once in the garden, you would not think you were in the city. It was peaceful and gave me a sense of Japanese history. It is small, but if you take your time, you can easily spend about 1 hour there. My favorite was the koi pond.

I absolutely love Japanese gardens! Whenever I go to a new city I try to visit the Japanese gardens if they have them. This little garden in Tucson is definitely small, but it is packed with all the good stuff. There’s an art museum attached, a cute little gift shop, and a wonderful, peaceful park. I loved it. Sooo beautiful, peaceful, a great place to relax.

Amazing piece of zen situated on less than an acre in a major U.S. city. Wow. Well done! A mini version of the Japanese Friendship Garden in Phoenix. Tucked away in busy Tucson surrounded by neighborhoods, traffic, noise, congestion. Very well thought out design. Nicely maintained. Friendly, informative staff. Gift shop. Ceremonial tea room replica that you can enter and experience. And much more. Our group of four was very pleased. We did self-guided. Reasonable admission fees.

Beautiful little peaceful garden on 3/4 of an acre. We went later in the afternoon and had the garden all to ourselves, it was awesome! The koi pond was my favorite part of the garden.

A corner of tranquility in Tucson. I visited the Gardens for the first time tonight and was transported back to my experience of visiting Japan in 2019. It is challenging to create a garden experience that brings a sense of tranquility and peace within a city, but Yume has done just that. I highly recommend having your own moment of meditation here.

Great garden to sit and relax.

Went here during the ikebana festival. The flower arrangements were very pretty. Loved the bamboo section of the garden and the rock river. I've been to Japanese gardens in Tokyo, Kyoto, and smaller towns in Japan...this brings back the memories

Smaller than I thought, relaxing.

Very nice garden to spend a couple hours relaxing. They have a really cute idea where you can take parasols which are great for taking pictures and also to help keep you from getting sunburned or super hot. It's definitely smaller than, say, the garden in Oregon but really nicely done for the amount of space they have and environment. The staff are very friendly.

Japanese festival was fantastic.

What a beautiful place, and peaceful. The host at the kiosk was very knowledgeable and we had a great chat. Will definitely be going back.

In response to your question about what to do to make it better. I loved all the little garden areas. The descriptions that were given were lovely however I had trouble figuring out which description went with which garden area. I would suggest a better visual map of the gardens that references each description. I think that would have relieved my confusion.

So peaceful and visually pleasing. Forgot I was in the middle of Tucson. Very friendly staff. Glad I visited.

This place was so beautiful and relaxing i could have stayed for hours

For well done and tended garden with extend displays of art work. We were there for the "Toro Nagashi" or floating lantern festival.

A special treat

While this garden isn’t too large, it is a really interesting and peaceful garden. The gardens are recreations of old Japanese courtyard gardens that are reimagined using plants that are hardy at Tucson’s climate. It is beautifully done and feels refreshing.

Compact Japanese garden with heart. A nice place to spend a couple of hours just sitting. I love all of the little details and subtle touches in a smaller Japanese garden like this one. Take it slowly and with a spirit of contemplation.

Very calming atmosphere you forget your in the middle of a bustling city. Beautiful Koi Pond. A great place to practice Mindfulness. The Museum is very interesting and the ikebana vase collection is impressive. The staff in the Gift Shop are very helpful with any questions.

Very cute area that lets you feel like you can get away and relax in a big city. If I could have added one touch to it, it would have been 20-30 cats roaming the property :) Very fun and the worker there was super nice and friendly to talk to.

The garden is really small. We went on enchanted night and it was a waste of money, it cost twice as much as a normal day and you can't actually see anything because there's barely any lanterns. We were told there was tea and some cakes at the back of the garden and when we got there we asked for tea and then they told us sorry you can only choose either the tea or cakes after we had already got our half filled cups of tea. The oragami room was not impressive at all. The only good things was a small Japanese style cottage, the pottery, and the koi pond. But it was deffinitly not worth the $15 a person.

Nice after dinner fun with very oral Japanese woman

What a lovely hidden gem in the midst of midtown Tucson! These Gardens are modeled after what it might be like in a small Japanese home garden as opposed to a larger fancy set of formal gardens. They are precious and peaceful and quite unlike anything else in Tucson. We visited at night, when the garden was delicately lit by many lovely lanterns. It was the perfect end to a busy day.

pricey, not very quiet with all the traffic noise. Don't bother going at night, it's too dark.

Amazing experience. There is such a peace that comes with walking through the gardens and sitting here and there. It is so beautifully expressed. You can feel the passion that has gone into the creation. Hidden gem!

Fantastic! Went there for the fall ikibana festival, they had fantasic arrangements. Additionally their displays in the museum had a good range of pieces from pottery, sculptures, kimonos and drawings. Worth the visit.

Very disappointing and overpriced. I have been to the magnificent Morikami Japanese gardens in Boca Raton, FL. The admission prices are the same but Morikami has acres and acres of gardens, waterfalls, banzais and a large museum with magnificent art. The Tucson garden is a fancy back yard. $3-4 should be the most they should charge.

Beautiful

Ok speaking from a man's point of view......I was quite surprised by the tea party.....and NO my wife did not drag me there.....the whole area is a work in progress/growth.....sit at any one of the tranquil sites and the sounds of the city vanish as you clear out all the rubble of daily life......I do recommend that if by chance you go then do clear your mind with your old thoughts and welcome the new ones in......

Very well put together, a nice place to visit. We had a great time. Worth the trip.

Very nice. Not a flowery botanical garden like you might expect. Relaxing.

Mom and pop owned place. Very quiet and serene in there. Nice and large variety of Japanese vases on display and to purchase.

Greatest little place to meditate. You can get a yearly membership.

Beautiful Japanese Gardens with Koi Pond. Sit and relax!

Wonderful gardens and Koi pond.

Beautiful and peaceful place to go! Cute and fun souvenirs!

Not so much dislike. Adults entry costs $15 each. Displaces are not very good.

I visited the gardens in February 2020 and enjoyed it. The owner is quite friendly and passionate about the gardens, which comes through during the visit. Highly recommend these gardens for a respite from the world. I will go back if I’m ever in Tucson again.

I've never been in the garden before but would like to visit,once it is safe again to go to places like this. ?

The setting and scenery are gorgeous. Bigger than it looks from the outside, but still nice and snug. A cute little date trip maybe or if you want to see something new in Tucson! I do find the price a bit high for the size of the venue, but worth it :)

Amazingly beautiful and relaxing

Peaceful and welcoming....

Extremely pleasant experience. Just a tad pricey for the amount of time spent there.

This place is a big ripoff. Save your money and go to the botanical gardens. This place is so small, very little to see, and so overpriced. Not a good way to spend 20 minutes for $15 a person. In regards to the owner’s rude response, yes, we went as a family and we all noticed how bad your garden was. Good job, Sherlock Holmes. Please give us a refund.

Relaxing nice place

Nice clean restaurant with great service.

So lovely!

Beautiful place. Only thing is owner is rude!!

I personally been there but I heard amazing things about it I been wanting to go

Really fresh and tasty

Beautiful little gem. Shame people don't talk about this place, it's a whole different world encapsulated in a garden. Lovingly cared for by a sweet and talkative couple. Cute little gift store, along with some interesting photo, kimono and Japanese vessel exhibits. Delightful.

Dont miss this one If you speak Japanese - you'll be rght at home-

Good and small

Poor.

Small place but if you take your time and enjoy what they have you will not be disappointed. My date and I enjoyed our time here.

Surprising little Japanese garden/museum run by a German woman in the Arizona desert. Small themed areas representing various garden types and some small structures and water features made for a very nice hour or two diversion from life outside the bamboo fence. Small gift shop with Japanese items as well as a collection of arisnal ikibana vessels for purchase.

Lovely place to visit

Very serene gardens in a quite accessible location, it's really nice to see some Japanese culture here in Tucson. The owner, Patricia, creates some really amazing Ikebana flower arrangements. They also have a gift shop if you are looking for something from Japan after strolling the gardens.

What a lovely little garden. So Peaceful, contemplative, relaxing, beautiful, and up and coming. The gardens are very new, having opened in January 2013. The plants are growing in fine, the layout is enjoyable. It is to be appreciated by many who adore to simplicity of this art. We both enjoyed this stop very much.