A fascinating exhibit at Balboa Park’s Japanese Friendship Garden will soon be ending. It concerns the history of Japanese American gardeners in San Diego. You can view the exhibit through Thursday, January 22, 2026.
Composed primarily of historical photographs from the early 20th century through World War II, the exhibit shows how first generation Japanese immigrants, with limited opportunities, brought beauty to San Diego through gardening.
It includes a look at Japanese Americans held as prisoners in Poston, Arizona during the war and their efforts to bring beauty into an ugly situation.
Photographs take the viewer into the present with amazing gardens in Balboa Park and Japanese inspired landscapes in San Diego.
The exhibit is made possible by the Japanese American Historical Society of San Diego.
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