Hakone Estate and Gardens is soliciting donations to fund $4 million in repairs to its koi pond that are long overdue.
The koi pond in the Saratoga gardens, which has been around for roughly 100 years, was first designed as a recreational area not intended to house koi. The original design of the pond coupled with decay from old age have resulted in a pond that’s too shallow to protect the fish from nearby predators and has been leaking water into the ground below, Saratoga Mayor Yan Zhao said.
Shozo Kagoshima, executive director of the Hakone Foundation, said the repairs have been a long time coming, stretching back to the organization’s efforts in 2014 to create a master plan to help the gardens “move forward.” The plan was finalized in 2017. It includes four phases: repairs to the pond, restoration repairs to existing buildings in the gardens, the addition of a new guest services area and work on the parking lot and new maintenance yard.
Kagoshima said the foundation has been working on fundraising and outlining a plan for repairs since 2019 and has raised $1.3 million of its $4 million goal. These funds don’t include money for improving wheelchair and stroller accessibility.
Since 2021, the city of Saratoga has contributed $25,000 annually to the repair effort, and that amount will be doubled to $50,000 for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
“It’s been difficult; that’s part of our struggle,” Kagoshima said of the foundation’s efforts to come up with the funds.
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He said the foundation plans to raise the remaining $2.7 million by next April, with the goal of starting repairs in October 2025 and completing them by March 2026.
“The city and the County of Santa Clara have given us grants toward the construction of the pond, but we need more, larger donations, and that’s what we’re working on now,” he said.
Hakone’s webpage on the renovation effort, which is written from the koi’s perspective, states that many koi in the pond have died from overheating in the summer despite efforts to provide shade or prevent unhealthy algae growth.
“We are the koi fish of Hakone Estate and Gardens. While it looks as if we live in an ideal, lush location, we are here to tell you that our living conditions are actually quite dire, and we really need your help,” the website reads.
Kagoshima said the leakage has resulted in garden staff needing to refill thousands of gallons of water in the garden several times a day, and the water filtration system is in need of maintenance. The pond is currently only 18 inches deep, he said, and needs to be extended to roughly 4 feet in order for the koi to continue to live safely in the body of water.
“It’s been an issue for quite a few years, before I even started,” said Kagoshima, who became the foundation’s executive director in 2015.
Zhao, who serves on the foundation’s executive board, said Hakone is an institution that the city is proud to support, as tourists come from around the world to see it.
“People come from as far as New York and even other foreign countries,” she said. “It is kind of Saratoga’s treasure.”
