Welcome
The Kato Memorial Garden
At the center of the historic Shinn Historical Park & Arboretum in Fremont lies a tiny Japanese-style garden called the George Koomei Kato Memorial Garden. A protective flying dragon citrus hedge surrounds the garden. Enter the gates. Stroll the path around the garden. Cross the little bridge. Admire the red-leaved maples on the island at the heart of the garden. Relax inside the azumaya and view the stone lantern, camellias, flowering cherries, and azaleas.
The Kato Memorial Garden was dedicated in 1983 to commemorate the contributions of the Japanese community of Southern Alameda County and to commemorate George Kato, businessman and civic leader.
The garden was designed in 1982 by Mai Kitazawa Arbegast, the well-known Bay Area landscape architect. Her projects were generally not Japanese gardens. The garden was built by volunteers from the Kato family, by volunteers from the community, and by the city of Fremont.
Volunteers from the local garden club, the city of Fremont, and the Merritt College Aesthetic Pruning class continue to take care of this tranquil little garden.
Hours
The Kato Memorial Garden is located inside Shinn Historical Park & Arboretum. The park is open from 8:00 am until a half hour after sunset.
There is no fee for entry. However, portions of the park may be rented and you might encounter a wedding party or other celebration. So if you are coming from afar, please contact ahead of time (on Facebook or see footer) to see if there is an event planned. We don't want you to be disappointed or turned away!
NOTE: The main lawn area of Shinn Park is available for rental. If you come on a day that there is a private event, the Kato garden may still be visited. However, the lawn area will not be available to visit. If you are traveling a distance, you might want to reschedule your visit. The City of Fremont can be contacted to see if there is a private or public event. There should be an event coordinator present who you can speak to.
At Shinn Historical Park & Arboretum
Free Parking is available in front of the park or on the street.
Visit us VIRTUALLY
Visit the photo albums on the Friends of Heirloom Flowers Facebook page for more pictures of the George Kato Memorial Garden in Shinn Park. The Garden Club, Friends of Heirloom Flowers, is one of the organizations that takes care of the gardens here in Shinn Park.
Take a virtual stroll in the garden in April 2017 on Facebook to see cherry blossoms, middle cherry blossom season.
Who is here at Shinn PaRK?
Volunteer gardeners take care of the gardens at the park weekly. The Friends of Heirloom Flowers Garden Club meet Tuesdays from 10-12. Message us on Facebook or just show up with gloves.
Mission Peak Heritage Foundation manages the Shinn House. Docents in costume lead tours of the house twice monthly. See Calendar and Facebook. Garden tours can be added to the house tours on request.
The Chinese Bunkhouse Preservation Project is investigating the preservation of this historic building at the park.