Paradise Ridge Winery and the Sonoma County Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) are partnering to create a Japanese style garden that celebrates the rich cultural, historic, and economic contributions of Japanese immigrants to this region. The Japanese Garden Project commemorates the life and legacy of Kanaye Nagasawa, and highlights the deep historical connections between Sonoma County and Southern Japan, particularly Kagoshima, the ancestral home of many Japanese immigrants to the area.
Paradise Ridge Winery, located on the historic site of the Fountain Grove Winery once owned by Nagasawa, has generously offered a site within the Marijke’s Grove Sculpture Garden, to the JACL for the creation of the garden. Set on an oak-studded hilltop, the garden design reflects the geography of the Kagoshima area and will feature California native plants, rocks and boulders from the site, Japanese-style gates, fences, benches, and Zen-inspired gravel representations of the Pacific Ocean and Kagoshima Bay.
Interpretive signage will tell the story of Japanese immigrants in Sonoma County, highlighting their contributions to the community, including the history of Kanaye Nagasawa. The garden will be open to the public free of charge, seven days a week. The garden will be a point of interest for local residents and tourists interested in the cultural and historical heritage of the region.
To-date, JACL has received generous donations from Paradise Ridge Winery, the Japanese American Community Foundation (JACF), LACO Associates (engineers, planners, surveyors, & grant writers), and the Friends of Kagoshima. If you would like to donate to the project, please see our Donation Page.
If you would like to sponsor one of the Garden Features:
| Main Entry Gate(s) | Two (2) | $5,000 each |
| Garden Gate(s) | Two (2) | $2,500 each |
| Benches | Four (4) | $1,250 each |
| Stone Lanterns | Six (6) | $1,000 each |
| Interpretive Signage | Ten (10) | $500 each |
Please contact us at events@sonomacountyJACL.org and a volunteer will contact you directly.
Construction is scheduled to begin in late-Summer 2025 and be completed by the Fall. JACL is looking for volunteer individuals and groups to help us build the Garden. If you have a group of friends, belong to a church or civic organization, fraternity, sorority, Scout Troop, sports team, or are a high school student that needs volunteer hours, JACL will provide supervision, materials, tools, refreshments, & plenty of encouragement. Click here to volunteer!