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Thursday

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

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By urbanguy

“The Area Was Beautifully Landscaped”

Oct 2021

The Japan House is actually part of the College of Fine and Applied Arts of the University of Illinois. The actual "house" was closed when we were there, so we just strolled around the area. I'm not sure where the Arboretum ends and the Japan House grounds begin. But, we walked around and could clearly identify the Cherry Tree "Lane," the Dry Garden, and the Tea Garden. Some of the trees there were really old and massive.

By BrendaH40

“It was a nice walk”

Jun 2021

The actual garden is a little messy, not surenif it is because of 2020 or that is normal. The surrounding walk ways are very nice.

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

4.0

34 reviews

Excellent

16

Very good

10

Average

7

Poor

1

Terrible

0

urbanguy

Richmond, VA5,008 contributions

The Area Was Beautifully Landscaped

Oct 2021

The Japan House is actually part of the College of Fine and Applied Arts of the University of Illinois. The actual "house" was closed when we were there, so we just strolled around the area.

I'm not sure where the Arboretum ends and the Japan House grounds begin. But, we walked around and could clearly identify the Cherry Tree "Lane," the Dry Garden, and the Tea Garden. Some of the trees there were really old and massive.

Written November 6, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

FiveD M

Chicago, IL24 contributions

Amazing in April

Apr 2019

The best time to visit (imo) is the first 2 weeks of April. At this time the Cherry blossoms are in full bloom and look beautiful. Of course all of this is depending on what nature has to say about it because last year (2019) there weren't any blossoms during the spring.

Written February 12, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Scott D

Bourbonnais, IL579 contributions

Very nice place here

Jun 2017 • Solo

I enjoy my time at here. It is very nice to come here. I did not have any problems here. They do have nice things here.

Written July 21, 2017

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bookworm46

Urbana, IL135 contributions

Beauty and culture

Jul 2013 • Friends

A quiet, relaxing garden and house. This gets 5 stars if there is an event goIng on, but just 3 stars otherwise. The house is only open on Thursdays unless some program or ceremony is happening. The gardens are beautiful, with gravel paths, so not great for walkers or wheelchairs. Very relaxing way to spend some quiet time. Surrounded by the Hartley gardens, an idea garden created by Master Gardeners, and the UI arboretum. Gardeners and nature lovers can easily spend a couple hours here.

Written July 29, 2013

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

tabbycatpossible

Davenport, Iowa2 contributions

The Japan House

The Japan House was a very peaceful place where I was able to RELAX. It was also a great place to learn a little bit about Japanese culture.

I think that the inside of the Japan House, however, could really use more of a "Japanese feel," some areas of it just felt like a big meeting room.

I think my favorite part of my experience there was spending time in the Japan House Gardens. These gardens are open until dusk and are stunning. The area around the gardens is also very beautiful.

Written September 19, 2007

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

vdjain

Mumbai, India200 contributions

Perfect place to rejuvenate yourself

Jun 2017 • Friends

Japan House gardens - Tea Garden, Dry Garden ; Sen Cherry Tree Allee . Full of lush green everywhere, variety of plants and trees and flowers you can see. You can walk around, jogging, relaxing, play with children in the Japan House. Please check the timings on their website of Tea Ceremony if you want to be a part of it. They conduct various events throughout the year.

Written July 8, 2017

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

djoncich

Urbana, IL19 contributions

An Excellent Cultural Experience in CU

Mar 2016 • Couples

The Japan House was the dream of a famous Japanese materials science professor while he was a visiting scholar at the UI many years ago. Since then it has grown into a tremendously popular attraction. In addition to the house itself there are ponds, gardens and even periodic tea ceremonies. For a recent open house the staff expected roughly 1000 visitors. More than 4000 attended.

You can check the schedule of events online. Most activities are free.

Written October 4, 2016

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

FOL-1003

Berlin, Germany1,660 contributions

A gem in a park adjacent to the big campus

Oct 2015 • Friends

we halva pleasant walk over to the house, which unfortunately was not open to the public, but we had an interesting walk about the place.
I personally liked the gravel, its very soothing for the mind to look at it.
worth the visit, even when closed.

Written October 22, 2015

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

candyinillinois

Urbana, IL10 contributions

Japan House

May 2015 • Couples

Japan House is on the University of Illinois Campus. It features walk thru gardens, and on certain days and times the house itself is open to the public. Near by are two other gardens to walk thru too. Excellent adventures!

Written June 5, 2015

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

travlelf

CT, USA89 contributions

Don't Miss

Oct 2014 • Family

I'll likely never make it to Japan but I felt as if I had while participating in the traditional tea ceremony at this beautiful little jem. The tea house is surrounded by gorgeous traditional gardens and landscaping and inside features both large and small tea ceremony rooms. A volunteer provides an introduction and describes the process, staff and assistants perform the tea ceremony in full dress. After having tea this way I went out and bought myself the tools to approximate the experience at home. Really an exceptional place and a fine thing to discover in the heart of the mid-west.

Written November 6, 2014

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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