Nearby to downtown Hayward along the San Lorenzo Creek are the Hayward’s Japanese Gardens. Currently maintained by the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District, these are the oldest Japanese gardens in California.
It’s not a large garden and the grounds can be covered in about 30 minutes depending on what sort of contemplative mood you’re in. Still, it’s free and open from 8:30am – 4:00pm every day except Christmas.
The Pond is stocked with plenty of Koi and turtles A Gazebo allows you to spend the day gazing down on the pond